Sales (accounting)

In bookkeeping, accounting, and finance, Net sales are operating revenues earned by a company when it sells its products. Revenue (net sales) are reported directly on the income statement as Sales or Net sales.

In financial ratios that use income statement sales values, "sales" refers to net sales, not gross sales. Sales are the unique transactions that occur in professional selling or during marketing initiatives.

Revenue is earned when goods are delivered or services are rendered.^[1] The term sales in a marketing, advertising or a general business context often refers to a contract in which a buyer has agreed to purchase some products at a set time in the future. From an accounting standpoint, sales do not occur until the product is delivered. "Outstanding orders" refers to sales orders that have not been filled.

General Journal
Date	Description of entry	Debit	Credit
7-7	Cash	200.00
	Sales		200.00
	Sell 10 books at 20% discount.
7-10	Accounts receivable	125.00
	Services		125.00
	Consulting fee.

A sale is a transfer of property for money or credit.^[2] In double-entry bookkeeping, a sale of merchandise is recorded in the general journal as a debit to cash or accounts receivable and a credit to the sales account.^[3] The amount recorded is the actual monetary value of the transaction, not the list price of the merchandise. A discount from list price might be noted if it applies to the sale.

Fees for services are recorded separately from sales of merchandise, but the bookkeeping transactions for recording "sales" of services are similar to those for recording sales of tangible goods.

Gross sales and net sales

General Journal - Merchandise return example
Date	Description of entry	Debit	Credit
8-7	Sales Returns and Allowances	20.00
	Accounts Receivable		20.00
	Full credit for customer return of merchandise purchased on account.
8-7	Inventory	15.00
	Cost of Goods Sold		15.00
	Restore returned merchandise to inventory.

Gross sales are the sum of all sales during a time period. Net sales are gross sales minus sales returns, sales allowances, and sales discounts. Gross sales do not normally appear on an income statement. The sales figures reported on an income statement are net sales.^[4]

sales returns are refunds to customers for returned merchandise
sales allowances are reductions in sales price for merchandise with minor defects, the allowance agreed upon after the customer has purchased the merchandise (see also credit note)
sales discounts are reduced payments from the customer based on invoice payment terms such as 2/10, n/30 (2% discount if paid within 10 days, net invoice total due in 30 days)

Sales Returns and Allowances and Sales Discounts are contra-revenue accounts.

General Journal - Sales discount example
Date	Description of entry	Debit	Credit
9-1	Accounts Receivable (Customer A)	500.00
	Sales		500.00
	Merchandise sale on account, terms 2/10, n/30.
9-7	Cash	490.00
	Sales Discounts	10.00
	Accounts Receivable (Customer A)		500.00
	A/R paid by Customer A, taking a 2% discount.

Revenue or Sales reported on the income statement are net sales after deducting Sales Returns and Allowances and Sales Discounts.

Revenue:
Sales		$2,000.00
Less Sales returns and allowances	$20.00
Sales discounts	$10.00	$30.00
Net sales		$1,970.00

Unique definitions

When the US government reports wholesale sales, this includes excise taxes on certain products.^[5]

References

^ Meigs & Meigs, Financial Accounting, Fourth Edition McGraw-Hill, 1983. p.124.
^ Random House Dictionary, Revised Edition, 1975.
^ Pinson, Linda and Jerry Jinnett. Keeping the Books, Second Edition Upstart Publishing Company, Inc., 1993. p. 15. This is a simplified example.
^ Williams, Jan R.; Haka, Susan F.; Bettner, Mark S.; Carcello, Joseph V. (2006). Financial Accounting (12th ed.). Boston, Mass: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. pp. 261–263. ISBN 0072884673.
^ Monthly Wholesale Trade Survey Definitions Statement