What Is a Financial Statement? Definition and Guide - Shopify (2024)

Start selling with Shopify today

Start your free trial with Shopify today—then use these resources to guide you through every step of the process.

What Is a Financial Statement? Definition and Guide - Shopify (1)
What Is a Financial Statement? Definition and Guide - Shopify (2)
What Is a Financial Statement? Definition and Guide - Shopify (3)

A financial statement is the combination of the three major reports on a business. It will contain the cash flow statement, the income statement and the balance sheet of the business. All three together produce an overall picture of the health of the business.

What Is a Financial Statement? Definition and Guide - Shopify (4)

A financial statement is the combination of the three major reports on a business. It will contain the cash flow statement, the income statement and the balance sheet of the business. All three together produce an overall picture of the health of the business.

Why is a financial statement important?

The answer to this question is in the definition; it is the complete report on the health of the business taking in cash flow, income and the balance sheet. The financial statement determines if a business has to ability to repay loans, if it has the cash flow to meet bills and purchase stock. It will also tell from where the business is generating cash and where the cash goes.

The financial statement tells if the business is profitable, if it will stay profitable and if there are any large problems looming, such as a continuous drop in sales over time. Reading the financial statement will give an overall view of the condition of the business and if there are any warnings signs of possible future problems.

A bank or other such institution will look to the financial statement as the first indicator of how the business is performing and if there is a need for further investigation.

When will a company prepare a financial statement?

Every business will ready a financial statement to go with their end of year results, to give interested parties the overview of how the business is functioning. If a business is looking to increase credit facilities with a bank or trying to raise capital for an expansion, it will produce a financial statement for the end of a fiscal quarter or the most recent month.

When preparing a financial statement for such purposes the best practice is to use general accountancy language, understood by all parties. A financial statement that may accompany an end of year report and read just by employees, is often in terms familiar to just those involved.

Often a government body may request a financial statement for tax purposes and the company will need to produce one of high quality using generally accepted guidelines. A bank or investors may also request a financial statement without warning, if they are concerned about the profitability or otherwise of the company. For these reason alone it is vital for any business to keep good and current records so that a financial statement is easy and quick to produce.

Financial Statement FAQ

What is a financial statement simple definition?

A financial statement is a document that summarizes an individual or business's financial position, including assets, liabilities, and net worth. It is used to assess the financial health of an individual or business.

What are the 4 types of financial statements?

  • Balance Sheet: A statement of a company's financial position at a particular point in time, showing assets, liabilities, and net worth.
  • Income Statement: A statement of a company's financial performance over a period of time, showing revenue, expenses, gains, and losses.
  • Cash Flow Statement: A statement of a company's inflows and outflows of cash from operations, investments, and financing activities over a period of time.
  • Statement of Stockholders' Equity: A statement of the changes in a company's stockholders' equity over a period of time, showing contributions, distributions, and other changes.

Last updated Nov 10, 2022

What Is a Financial Statement? Definition and Guide - Shopify (14)

Keep up with the latest from Shopify

Subscribe to our blog and get free ecommerce tips, inspiration, and resources delivered directly to your inbox.

Unsubscribe anytime. By entering your email, you agree to receive marketing emails from Shopify.

Sell anywhere with Shopify

Learn on the go. Try Shopify for free, and explore all the tools you need to start, run, and grow your business.

Try Shopify for free, no credit card required.

What Is a Financial Statement? Definition and Guide - Shopify (2024)

FAQs

What Is a Financial Statement? Definition and Guide - Shopify? ›

A financial statement is the combination of the three major reports on a business. It will contain the cash flow statement, the income statement and the balance sheet of the business.

What is the definition of a financial statement? ›

Financial statements are a set of documents that show your company's financial status at a specific point in time. They include key data on what your company owns and owes and how much money it has made and spent. There are four main financial statements: balance sheet. income statement.

How do I get my financial statements from Shopify? ›

View the Finances summary page
  1. From your Shopify admin, go to Analytics > Reports.
  2. Click Categories.
  3. Select Finances to filter the reports to include only finances reports.
  4. In the Name column, click the Summary report.
  5. Optional: Select a channel and choose a date range.

What is the brief description of financial statements? ›

Definition. A text description of an object in approximately one sentence; normally used for administrative and identification purposes.

What is a financial statement that summarizes? ›

A financial statement that summarizes company revenue and expenses is Statement of Profit and Loss.

What are the three main financial statements explained? ›

The income statement illustrates the profitability of a company under accrual accounting rules. The balance sheet shows a company's assets, liabilities, and shareholders' equity at a particular point in time. The cash flow statement shows cash movements from operating, investing, and financing activities.

What are the 5 types of financial statements with examples? ›

3. 5 Types of Financial Statements
  • 3.1. Balance Sheet. The first type of financial report is the balance sheet. ...
  • 3.2. Income Statement. The second type of financial report is the income statement. ...
  • 3.3. Cash Flow Statement. ...
  • 3.4. Statement of Changes in Capital. ...
  • 3.5. Notes to Financial Statements.
Dec 28, 2022

Where is finance summary in Shopify? ›

Log into your Shopify store, then click 'Analytics' on the left-hand menu to access financial reports. In 'Analytics', select 'Reports', then 'Finances Summary' to view sales, payments, and liabilities. Detailed reports in each section help identify areas for investment and improvement in your Shopify store.

How much do you have to make on Shopify to file taxes? ›

Shopify 1099-K Requirements

As a seller, you will receive a 1099-K form if you earn over $600 per year. It doesn't matter how many transactions you incur throughout the tax year. Sales tax and income tax are typically the two tax categories that Shopify sellers need to be aware of.

How much can I make from Shopify? ›

The average net profit margin for e-commerce businesses, which include Shopify stores, is around 10%. High performers can reach up to 20%, while lower margins sit at 5%​. ​Applying these margins to the average monthly revenue, we find: Low-end profit estimate: $5,583 x 5% = $279.15.

How to make a financial statement? ›

5 steps to prepare your financial statements
  1. Step 1: gather all relevant financial data. ...
  2. Step 2: categorize and organize the data. ...
  3. Step 3: draft preliminary financial statements. ...
  4. Step 4: review and reconcile all data. ...
  5. Step 5: finalize and report.
Oct 24, 2023

How to prepare financial statements? ›

Follow these steps:
  1. Close the revenue accounts. Prepare one journal entry that debits all the revenue accounts. ...
  2. Close the expense accounts. Prepare one journal entry that credits all the expense accounts. ...
  3. Transfer the income summary balance to a capital account. ...
  4. Close the drawing account.

What are 5 elements of financial statements? ›

The major elements of the financial statements (i.e., assets, liabilities, fund balance/net assets, revenues, expenditures, and expenses) are discussed below, including the proper accounting treatments and disclosure requirements.

What is the financial statement data? ›

It is essentially data concerning a company's financial health and performance. This data includes information about an organization's income, expenses, assets, liabilities, and cash flow.

What are the four key financial statements? ›

There are four primary types of financial statements:
  • Balance sheets.
  • Income statements.
  • Cash flow statements.
  • Statements of shareholders' equity.
Nov 1, 2023

What is an example of a financial report? ›

An example of financial reporting would be a company's annual report, which typically includes the balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement. The report may be released to the public, regulators, and/or creditors.

What are the 4 types of financial statements? ›

There are four primary types of financial statements:
  • Balance sheets.
  • Income statements.
  • Cash flow statements.
  • Statements of shareholders' equity.
Nov 1, 2023

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Tyson Zemlak

Last Updated:

Views: 5899

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (43 voted)

Reviews: 82% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Tyson Zemlak

Birthday: 1992-03-17

Address: Apt. 662 96191 Quigley Dam, Kubview, MA 42013

Phone: +441678032891

Job: Community-Services Orchestrator

Hobby: Coffee roasting, Calligraphy, Metalworking, Fashion, Vehicle restoration, Shopping, Photography

Introduction: My name is Tyson Zemlak, I am a excited, light, sparkling, super, open, fair, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.