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The Global Insight

What is a common size vertical income statement?

Author

Sarah Garza

Updated on February 06, 2026

A common size income statement is an income statement in which each line item is expressed as a percentage of the value of revenue or sales. It is used for vertical analysis, in which each line item in a financial statement is represented as a percentage of a base figure within the statement.

What is common size statement vertical analysis?

Common size analysis, also referred as vertical analysis, is a tool that financial managers use to analyze financial statements. In the balance sheet, the common base item to which other line items are expressed is total assets, while in the income statement, it is total revenues.

How do you make a common size income statement?

To common size an income statement, analysts divide each line item (e.g. gross profit, operating income, marketing expenses) by revenue or sales. Each item is then expressed as a percentage of sales.

How do you interpret a vertical analysis income statement?

In accounting, a vertical analysis is used to show the relative sizes of the different accounts on a financial statement. For example, when a vertical analysis is done on an income statement, it will show the top-line sales number as 100%, and every other account will show as a percentage of the total sales number.

How do you common size a balance sheet?

The calculation for common-size percentages is: (Amount / Base amount) and multiply by 100 to get a percentage. Remember, on the balance sheet the base is total assets and on the income statement the base is net sales.

What is the formula of vertical analysis?

Vertical analysis formula = (Statement line item / Total base figure) X 100. Horizontal analysis formula = {(Comparison year amount – Base year amount) / Base year amount} X 100.

What does a common size balance sheet show?

A common size balance sheet is a balance sheet that displays both the numeric value and relative percentage for total assets, total liabilities, and equity accounts.

How to do a vertical analysis of an income statement?

Consider the following example of an income statement of the XYZ Company: If we divide each line item for the year with the sales for that year, the common size analysis of the income statement of the Company will look like: By converting each number by the sales number for the year, the comparison between the line items over the years is easy.

Which is an example of a common size income statement?

Let us look at another example: the income statement of Apple Inc. Common Size Analysis Of Income Statement Common Size Income Statement is a Company’s financial statement that presents every listed line item as a percentage of total revenue or sales.

Where can I find common size financial statements?

All three of the primary financial statements can be put into a common-size format. Financial statements in dollar amounts can easily be converted to common-size statements using a spreadsheet, or they can be obtained from online resources like Mergent Online.

How are sales figures used in a vertical analysis?

Vertical (common-size) analysis of financial statements. To conduct a vertical analysis of income statement, sales figure is generally used as the base and all other components of income statement like cost of sales, gross profit, operating expenses, income tax, and net income etc. are shown as a percentage of sales. In a vertical analysis…