# Profit and Loss Comparison (Quarter-over-Quarter)

A quarter-over-quarter Profit and Loss comparison lines a quarter up against the previous quarter, handy for board decks and investor updates where month-level noise gets in the way. Here's how to build one in QuickBooks Online.

## Steps

### 1. Open the Profit and Loss report

Go to Reports and select "Profit and Loss."

### 2. Set the date range to the quarter you want to analyze

Use the Report period control to select a single quarter, for example "Last quarter" or "This fiscal quarter." The quarter you compare against is added in the next step.

### 3. Set "Compare to" to Previous Period

Open the "Compare to" dropdown and check "Previous Period (PP)." With a one-quarter period, this adds the immediately preceding quarter. Then check "$ change" and "% change" for the difference columns.

### 4. Review the quarter-over-quarter columns

The report updates automatically, showing the selected quarter next to the prior quarter with dollar and percentage change.

## FAQ

### What is the difference between quarter-over-quarter and a Profit and Loss by quarter?

A by-quarter report (Display columns by Quarters) shows all four quarters as columns for a full-year view. Quarter-over-quarter focuses on two consecutive quarters and adds explicit dollar and percentage change columns.

### How do I compare to the same quarter last year?

Use a year-over-year comparison. Set "Compare to" to "Previous year (PY)." See our Year-over-Year guide for the walkthrough.

### Does QuickBooks use calendar quarters or fiscal quarters?

Quarters follow the fiscal year start date set in Account and settings > Advanced. If your fiscal year starts in January, quarters align to the calendar; otherwise they shift accordingly.