In accounting, revenue is the income that a business has from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services to customers. In accounting, in the balance statement it is a subsection of the Equity section and revenue increases equity, it is often referred to as the “top line” due to its position on the income statement at the very top.
For non-profit organizations, annual revenue may be referred to as gross receipts. This revenue includes donations from individuals and corporations, support from government agencies, income from activities related to the organization’s mission, and income from fundraising activities, membership dues, and financial securities such as stocks, bonds or investment funds.
In more formal usage, revenue is a calculation or estimation of periodic income based on a particular standard accounting practice or the rules established by a government or government agency. Two common accounting methods, cash basis accounting and accrual basis accounting, do not use the same process for measuring revenue.Corporations that offer shares for sale to the public are usually required by law to report revenue based on generally accepted accounting principles or International Financial Reporting Standards.
In a double-entry bookkeeping system, revenue accounts are general ledger accounts that are summarized periodically under the heading Revenue or Revenues on an income statement. Revenue account names describe the type of revenue, such as “Repair service revenue”, “Rent revenue earned” or “Sales”.
