An equation for net income Net profit: To calculate net profit for a venture (such as a company, division, or project), subtract all costs, including a fair share of total corporate overheads, from the gross revenues or turnover. Net profit = sales revenue − total costs Net profit is a measure of the fundamental profitability of the venture. "It is the revenues of the activity less the costs of the activity. The main complication is . . . when needs to be allocated" across ventures. "Almost by definition, overheads are costs that cannot be directly tied to any specific" project, product, or division. "The classic example would be the cost of headquarters staff." "Although it is theoretically possible to calculate profits for any sub-(venture), such as a product or region, often the calculations are rendered suspect by the need to allocate overhead costs." Because overhead costs generally don't come in neat packages, their allocation across ventures is not an exact science. Example Net profit on a P & L (profit and loss) account: Sales revenue = price (of product) × quantity sold Gross profit = sales revenue − cost of sales and other direct costs Operating profit = gross profit − overheads and other indirect costs EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) = operating profit + non-operating income Pretax profit (EBT, earnings before taxes) = operating profit − one-off items and redundancy payments, staff restructuring − interest payable Net profit = Pre-tax profit − tax Retained earnings = Net profit − dividends Another equation to calculate net income: Net sales (revenue) - Cost of goods sold = Gross profit - SG&A expenses (combined costs of operating the company) - Research and development (R&D) = Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) - Depreciation and amortization = Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) - Interest expense (cost of borrowing money) = Earnings before taxes (EBT) - Tax expense = Net income (EAT) Another equation to calculate net income: Net sales = gross sales – (customer discounts + returns + allowances) Gross profit = net sales – cost of goods sold Gross profit percentage = [(net sales – cost of goods sold)/net sales] × 100%. Operating profit = gross profit – total operating expenses Net income = operating profit – taxes – interest Other terms See also Cost of goods sold Dividend Economic value added Gross income Gross margin (the difference