Cost of Goods Sold Calculator
Uncover the true cost of the goods your business sold with our simple yet powerful Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) Calculator. Gain valuable insights into your inventory management, gross margin, COGS tax deduction and overall financial health in just a few clicks.
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How to calculate cost of goods sold
To calculate the Cost of Goods Sold (COGS), you'll need three key pieces of information: the value of your inventory at the beginning of the accounting period, the cost of any purchases made during the period, and the value of the remaining inventory at the end. Simply input these amounts into the corresponding fields in our COGS calculator and click "Calculate COGS".
The formula used is:
COGS = Beginning Inventory + Purchases − Ending Inventory
This calculation will provide you with the cost of the inventory that was sold during the period, helping you understand the direct costs associated with the products you've moved.
To make this process even more straightforward, our Cost of Goods Sold calculator automates these calculations, allowing you to focus on interpreting the results and planning for business growth. Just input your inventory costs and purchases, and let the calculator do the rest.
The importance of accurately calculating COGS
Understanding your Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) is crucial for your taxes. It represents the total amount you invested in delivering your products to customers, which in the U.S. is a tax deductible business expense.
By including more qualifying items in your COGS calculation, you can effectively reduce your small business tax liability.
COGS also provides valuable insights into your business's overall performance. When you subtract COGS from your revenue, you arrive at your gross profit—revenue minus the cost of sales. This number allows you to calculate your gross margin—how much money you’re making from each product you sell.
Gross margin is a key metric to monitor; it can help you determine if your pricing is too low or if your production costs are too high. This alone makes calculating COGS essential.
The better your business records and bookkeeping, the easier it will be to cost out your inventory and determine your COGS. Accurate records will also make it easier to appropriately determine the amount of your COGS tax deduction.
Automating your COGS calculation
COGS is included as a line item on a profit and loss statement. Your bookkeeper and most bookkeeping software will provide this financial report for you.
At Bench, our team of bookkeepers prepare a monthly profit and loss statement that can be accessed anytime in our easy-to-use software.
Need to build your own profit and loss template? Our accounting experts here at Bench have built a profit and loss statement template in Excel that you can populate with your business's financial information to generate your own P & L statement.
Learn more about cost of goods sold calculations
How to Calculate Cost of Goods Sold
Knowing how to properly calculate COGS can help you deduct the business expenses you incurred while getting or making the inventory you sold. And who doesn’t love a good tax deduction?
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Gross Profit: What Is It and What It Means For Your Business
What is gross profit? What’s a good gross profit number? And how do you get from gross profit to regular profit?Here’s what you need to know.
FIFO: The First In First Out Inventory Method
First In, First Out is a method of inventory valuation where you assume you sold the oldest inventory you own first. It’s so widely used because of how much it reflects the way things work in real life, like your local coffee shop selling its oldest beans first to always keep the stock fresh.
Frequently Asked Questions
COGS includes all the direct costs associated with the production and preparation of goods for sale, including raw materials and direct labor. It does not include indirect expenses such as marketing and sales personnel salaries.
Understanding your COGS helps you measure true profitability, manage your inventory more effectively, and prepare more accurate financial reports. It is crucial for determining the gross profit margin, which is essential for pricing strategies, budgeting, and financial analysis.
The COGS calculator is primarily designed for businesses that sell physical goods. Service-oriented businesses typically do not have traditional COGS but rather "Cost of Services," which includes direct labor costs, materials, and other direct costs related to providing a service.
COGS should be calculated at least at the end of each accounting period—monthly, quarterly, or annually. Regular calculation allows for more accurate financial planning and assessment, helping businesses respond more effectively to market changes and operational needs.
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