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Account_Sponge
Level 1

Proper way to show profit in an expense category?

I have several expense categories that I list under EXPENSES > Direct Costs. We are a graphic design company. We are billed for work on behalf of our clients projects such as printing, editing, delivery etc. These are direct costs associated with the project, an expense that we need to pay. We then mark up those expenses to our clients. The result is we end up with a profit, or negative number in the expense report. The tax preparer is curious about this. My boss does not want to create corresponding categories under INCOME because these are first expenses. Should they be split into charged expense and billed expense under income?  What is the best way here? Thanks.

2 Comments 2
Teri
Level 9

Proper way to show profit in an expense category?

Profit is not an expense so does not go in an expense account.

 

Income minus expense = profit or loss.

 

Suggest you should get some accounting help.

Account_Sponge
Level 1

Proper way to show profit in an expense category?

Teri, If you actually read the question fully you would see that the problem I am seeking "accounting help" for involves an expense, such as the cost of printing for a postcard, assigned to Direct Cost: Printing, and assigned to a customers job so that it can be marked up and billed. However, when we mark it up on the invoice, we are offsetting the costs in that expense category so successfully that the costs are reduced to zero and then into positive profit. If I put the Direct Cost: Printing into the INCOME part of my chart of accounts so that the profit shows there, I am entering costs for a job that won't show as an expense when I go to create an invoice. So my question is how to handle marked up expenses that turn a profit in the EXPENSES part of of my chart of accounts.

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