P&L Comparison
The P&L comparison report places two or more periods side by side so you can track revenue and expense trends across months, quarters, or years — without switching between separate reports.
Accessing the report
Go to Reports → P&L Comparison.
Selecting periods to compare
- Click Add Period to add a comparison column
- For each period, set a from and to date
- Click Apply
You can add up to 6 periods on one screen. Common configurations:
| Use case | Period A | Period B |
|---|---|---|
| Year-over-year | Jan–Dec 2024 | Jan–Dec 2025 |
| Quarter-on-quarter | Q3 2025 | Q4 2025 |
| YTD vs prior YTD | Jan–Mar 2024 | Jan–Mar 2025 |
| Monthly trend | Dec / Nov / Oct / Sep (four columns) |
Report columns
For each period you select, the report shows the P&L structure with one column per period:
| Account | Jan–Dec 2024 | Jan–Dec 2025 | Change (CHF) | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 120,000.00 | 145,000.00 | +25,000.00 | +20.8% |
| Cost of goods | −45,000.00 | −52,000.00 | −7,000.00 | −15.6% |
| Gross profit | 75,000.00 | 93,000.00 | +18,000.00 | +24.0% |
| … |
When comparing exactly two periods, Gäld adds Change (CHF) and Change (%) columns automatically. For three or more periods, the change columns are hidden — you see the raw figures side by side.
Favourable changes (revenue up, costs down) are shown in green. Unfavourable changes are shown in red.
Expanding account groups
The report opens with account class totals collapsed. Click any row to expand it to individual accounts:
- Class 3 → individual revenue accounts
- Class 4 → cost of goods accounts
- Class 5 → personnel cost accounts
- etc.
Adding a budget column
If you have a budget set up for any of the periods, you can overlay it:
- Toggle Show Budget on
- For each period with an active budget, an additional Budget column appears next to the actual figures
See Budget for how to create and activate budget comparisons.
Exporting
Click Export (top right) and choose PDF or CSV.
- PDF — snapshot of the current view with all visible columns; useful for board reports or fiduciary review
- CSV — full data export with one column per period; ideal for building charts in a spreadsheet
Frequently asked questions
Can I compare a month to its equivalent month in the prior year? Yes. Set Period A to Jan 2024 and Period B to Jan 2025 (or any equivalent month pair).
Can I save a comparison configuration to reuse it? Not yet. Configure the periods each time you open the report.
The change percentage shows "—" for some rows — why? A dash appears when the budget or prior period value is zero, making a percentage meaningless.
How is this different from the standard P&L? The standard P&L shows one period at a time. The P&L comparison shows multiple periods simultaneously with change calculations.