# Period Comparison (https://docs.carlio.app/docs/profit-and-loss/compare-periods)

Change the reporting period and read the movement against the previous period



Every figure of the report is compared with the period of equal length that precedes it.

## Requirements [#requirements]

The permission **Financial Records Access** is required.

## Steps [#steps]

1. Open **[Profit & Loss](https://carlio.app/dashboard/finance)** in the **Finance** group of the sidebar.
2. Open the **Reporting period** menu at the top of the page.
3. Select **Last 7 Days**, **Last 30 Days**, **Last 90 Days** or **Last 12 Months**.

The default is **Last 30 Days**. The selection applies to the Profit & Loss page only. It resets when the page is opened again.

## The periods [#the-periods]

A period of N days starts at midnight of the day that is N minus 1 days before today. The time zone of the dealership decides when midnight falls. The period ends at the current moment.

The previous period is the N days immediately before the start of the current period. **Last 12 Months** uses 365 days.

Example: **Last 30 Days** covers today and the 29 days before it. The previous period covers the 30 days before that.

## Read the movement on a tile [#read-the-movement-on-a-tile]

The badge under each figure compares the current figure with the previous period.

| Badge                     | Meaning                                                               |
| ------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| An arrow and a percentage | The change divided by the previous figure, rounded to a whole percent |
| An arrow and an amount    | The change in money. This appears when the previous figure is zero    |
| **No Change**             | Both figures are equal                                                |

Hovering over the badge shows **Compared with the previous period**.

The colors have a meaning on three tiles.

* **Revenue** and **Net Profit** are green when they rise and red when they fall.
* **Operating Costs** are green when they fall and red when they rise.
* **Direct Costs** use a neutral color in both directions. More spending on cars is normal in a busy period.

## Read the movement on a category [#read-the-movement-on-a-category]

Rows in the breakdowns show an arrow and a percentage next to the bar. The percentage compares the category with the same category in the previous period.

The comparison is hidden when the previous amount is zero or when both amounts are equal. Hovering over it shows the previous amount.

## Notes [#notes]

* Only the four periods above are available. A custom date range is not offered on this page.
* The Transactions page offers a custom date range for the ledger.