# Profit and Loss Comparison (Year-to-Date)

A year-to-date comparison answers a simple question: are we ahead of or behind where we were this time last year? It lines the year so far up against the same span in the prior year. 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 year-to-date

Use the Report period control and choose "This year to date" (or "This fiscal year to date"), so the report runs from the start of the year through today.

### 3. Set "Compare to" to Previous year-to-date

Open the "Compare to" dropdown and check "Previous year-to-date (PY YTD)" to add the same year-to-date span from last year. Then check "$ change" and "% change" for the difference columns.

### 4. Review the year-to-date comparison

The report updates automatically, showing this year's figures through today next to last year's figures through the same date, with dollar and percentage change.

## FAQ

### What is the difference between "Year-to-date (YTD)" and "Previous year-to-date (PY YTD)"?

Year-to-date (YTD) adds a running total from the start of the year through your selected period. Previous year-to-date (PY YTD) adds last year's figures for that same span, which is what you want for a like-for-like "how are we tracking versus last year" comparison.

### How do I compare full year to full year instead?

Use a year-over-year comparison with a full-year period and "Compare to" set to "Previous year (PY)." See our Year-over-Year guide.

### Why do some percentage-change cells show "n/a"?

That usually means the prior year-to-date had no activity in that account, so a percentage change can't be calculated (division by zero).