Profit Calculations
- Profit is the reward for the risk that entrepreneurs take in proving a product/service
- The two main types of profit are gross profit and net profit
- Gross profit takes into account the expenses directly incurred in the cost of production and is calculated as follows
Gross profit = Sales revenue - cost of sales
- Net profit takes into account all of the business expenses and is calculated as follows
Net profit = Gross profit - (operating expenses + Interest)
Worked example
An e-scooter manufacturer sells its products to retailers for £180 per unit. Variable costs are 2/5ths of the selling price, with monthly fixed costs being £82,000. It sells 2,200 scooters a month.
The business pays £240 interest on a mortgage each month. This year it purchased the patent for a new type of rechargeable battery for £17,000.
Calculate the businesses net profit for the year. (6 marks)
Step 1: Calculate the Gross Profit (Revenue - Cost of Sales)
-
Calculate the variable cost per unit
⅖ of £180 = £72 (1 mark)
-
Calculate the gross profit per unit (selling price - variable cost per unit)
£180 - £72 = £108 (1 mark)
- Calculate the gross profit per month (gross profit per unit x units sold)
£108 x 2,200 = £237,600
-
Calculate the gross profit per year (gross profit per month x 12)
£237,600 x 12 = £2,851,200 (1 mark)
Step 2: Calculate the annual fixed costs
(1 mark)
Step 3: Calculate the annual Interest
(1 mark)
Step 3: Calculate the net profit using the formula
(1 mark or 6 for the correct answer)
Exam Tip
You may not be asked to complete all of these calculations in one question. The question may, for example, provide the Gross Profit and some other information and then ask you to calculate the net profit.
Look at the data carefully to ensure you are doing the correct calculation.