What is the importance of pro forma statement?
Christopher Davis
Updated on February 23, 2026
Pro forma statements for each plan provide important information about future expectations, including sales and earnings forecasts, cash flows, balance sheets, proposed capitalization, and income statements.
What is the purpose of creating a proforma income statement?
Pro forma financial statement definition They are useful tools that business owners, investors, creditors, or decision-makers can use to examine different iterations of future events based on certain financial assumptions.
Why is it important to know the roles of pro forma financial statements?
Budgeting. Pro-forma financial statements show forecasted sales and profits and all other financial statement figures. A business can use this information to determine whether it will meet its expected profit targets, how much money it must budget for certain expenses and how much cash it might have on hand.
How do you complete a pro forma income statement?
How to Do a Pro Forma Statement
- Calculate revenue projections for your business. Make sure to use realistic market assumptions to write an accurate pro forma statement.
- Estimate your total liabilities and costs. Your liabilities are loans and lines of credit.
- Estimate cash flows.
- Create the chart of accounts.
What is the difference between an annual budget and a pro forma?
Budget – According to Investopedia a budget is an estimation of the revenue and expenses over a specified future period of time. A pro forma financial statement is essentially a budget based on a certain event occurring. Typically a budget is developed each year and might be approved by a board of directors.
Why do you need a pro forma income statement?
Pro forma income statements provide an important benchmark or budget for operating a business throughout the year. For example, they can determine whether expenses can be expected to run higher in the first quarter of the year than in the second. They can also determine whether sales can be expected to run above average in, let’s say, June.
What’s the difference between a budget and a pro forma?
But budgets and pro forma statements are two distinct financial tools. Think of it this way: A pro forma statement is a prediction, and a budget is a plan. Your budget may be based on what your pro forma statements say—after all, it makes sense to make plans based on your predictions.
How does a pro forma acquisition look like?
Historical with acquisition pro forma projection This type of pro forma projection looks at the past financial statements of your business, plus the past financial statements of a business you want to buy. Then it merges them to show what your financials would have looked like if you made the acquisition earlier.
What do Lenders look for in a pro forma statement?
In the business lending world, lenders will look at a company’s pro forma balance sheet to determine the debt-to-equity ratio for additional lending. If it’s too high, borrowing may not be available. To prepare a pro forma statement, you can use a financial statement template or pro forma sample spreadsheets, like these from Smartsheet.