Tyms

Year-to-Date (YTD)

Year-to-date (YTD) refers to the period from the start of the current fiscal or calendar year up to the present date, and YTD figures for revenue, profit, expenses or returns are used to track progress against annual targets and prior years.

What does year-to-date mean?

YTD totals add up everything from the first day of the year to today, or to the end of the latest reporting period. If your fiscal year starts on 1 April, YTD on 30 September covers six months.

Common YTD measures

  • YTD revenue and [net income](/glossary/net-income)
  • YTD expenses versus [budget](/glossary/budget)
  • YTD payroll earnings and tax withheld, shown on payslips
  • YTD investment returns

YTD return formula

YTD return = (Current value − Value at start of year) ÷ Value at start of year × 100

Example

A business targets $1.2 million of revenue for the year. By the end of June (six months in), YTD revenue is $540,000, which is 45% of target at the halfway point. It is behind plan unless sales are seasonally weighted to the second half.

Comparisons

  • YTD vs prior YTD: compares the same period year on year, removing seasonality.
  • YTD vs budget: shows whether the business is on track.
  • MTD and QTD: month-to-date and quarter-to-date work the same way over shorter periods.

Further reading

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