What is the Balance Sheet?

A balance sheet lays out the ending balances in a company's asset, liability, and equity accounts as of the date stated on the report. As such, it provides a picture of what a business owns and owes, as well as how much as been invested in it. The balance sheet is commonly used for a great deal of financial analysis of a business' performance.

What is the Income Statement?

The income statement presents the financial results of a business for a stated period of time. The statement quantifies the amount of revenue generated and expenses incurred by an organization during a reporting period, as well as any resulting net profit or net loss.

Connection Between the Balance Sheet and Income Statement

There is a connection between the balance sheet and income statement when double-entry accounting is used. In essence, increases in revenue and gains as reported on the income statement cause stockholders’ equity to increase on the balance sheet. In addition, increases in expenses and losses as reported on the income statement cause stockholders’ equity to decrease on the income statement. In addition, the write-down of an asset on the balance sheet causes a loss to appear on the income statement.

Example of the Balance Sheet and Income Statement Connection

Big Apple Produce sells several bushels of apples for $1,000. This is recorded as revenue on its income statement, and increases shareholders’ equity on the balance sheet by the same amount. Big Apple then pays the daily wages of a warehouse worker, which appears as a $200 expense on its income statement and reduces shareholders’ equity on the balance sheet by the same amount. Finally, the company finds that one bushel of apples is rotten, and writes off its value; this is a $40 loss on the income statement and a $40 reduction of shareholders’ equity on the balance sheet.