What is Profit After Tax?

Profit after tax (PAT) can be termed as the net profit available for the shareholders after paying all the expenses and taxes by the business unit. The business unit can be any type, such as private limited, public limited, government-owned, privately-owned company, etc.

Tax is an integral part of an ongoing business. After paying all the operating expenses, non-operating expenses, interest on a loan, etc., the business is left out with several profits, known as profit before tax or PBT. After that, the tax is calculated on the available profit. Finally, after deducting the taxation amount, the business derives its net profit or profit after tax (PAT).

The formula of Profit after tax

The formula of PAT can describe as below:

Profit After Tax (PAT) = Profit Before Tax (PBT) – Tax Rate

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  • Profit before tax: It is determined by the total expenses (both OpexOpexOperating expense (OPEX) is the cost incurred in the normal course of business and does not include expenses directly related to product manufacturing or service delivery. Therefore, they are readily available in the income statement and help to determine the net profit.read more and non-operating) excluded from Total revenue (operating and non-operating revenue).Taxation: The taxation is calculated on PBT, and the country’s geographical location determines the taxation rate. For example, the taxation rate in India stands at 30% (approximately).

After calculating, the taxable amount is subtracted from PBT to get profit after-tax or Net profit. However, in the case of negative profit before tax (when total expenses exceed total revenue), the taxable component is not required. Therefore, tax is only applicable in the case of profitabilityProfitabilityProfitability refers to a company’s ability to generate revenue and maximize profit above its expenditure and operational costs. It is measured using specific ratios such as gross profit margin, EBITDA, and net profit margin. It aids investors in analyzing the company’s performance.read more.

Examples of Net Profit After Tax

Below are some examples of PAT.

Example #1

Suppose ABC private limited earns revenue of $ 500, and its operating and non-operating expenses stand at $150 and $68, respectively. The tax rate stands at 30%. Calculate profit after tax (PAT) for the company.

Solution:

From the above data, we get the following information.

  • Revenue of ABC private limited: $500Operating Expenses: $150Non-Operating Expenses: $68

Thus, if we deduct Non operating expensesNon Operating ExpensesNon operating expenses are those payments which have no relation with the principal business activities. These are the non-recurring items that appear in the company’s income statement, along with the regular business expenses.read more and operating expenses from revenue, we would profit before tax.

  • PBT = $ 500- $(150+68)= $ 282

Now calculate the Taxable amount by using PBT and the given tax rate.

  • Taxable Amount = Tax @30% on PBT= (30% of $282)= $84.6

Therefore as per formula

  • PAT = Profit before tax – Tax=$(282- 84.6)= $197.4

Example #2

Suppose Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited earn revenue of $ 14,514, and its operating and non-operating expenses stand at $6,508 and $3,250, respectively. The tax rate stands at 28%. Calculate net profit after tax for the company.

  • Revenue: $14,514Operating Expenses: $6,508Non-Operating Expenses: $3,250

  • PBT = $ 14,514 – $(6,508 +3,250)= $ 4,756

  • Taxable amount = Tax @28% on PBT= (28% of $4,756)= $1,331.68

Therefore, as per the formula.

  • PAT = Profit before tax – Tax = $(4,756-1,331.68)= $3,424.32

Advantages

  • PAT helps to determine the health of the business. It is an important parameter to evaluate business performances by the shareholders.PAT determines the margin, operational efficiency, remaining profits, and dividends, distributed after paying all the expenses.Higher PAT determines the higher efficiency of the business, and lower PAT indicates the business’s average or below average operational efficiency.Dividend distributionDividend DistributionDividend declared is that portion of profits earned that the company’s board of directors decides to pay off as dividends to the shareholders of such company in return to the investment done by the shareholders through the purchase of the company’s securities.read more is directly proportionate to the PAT. As the higher the amount, the higher would be the dividend yield.The stock price of a particular business also depends on PAT, as the profit growth helps increment the stock price and vice versa.Because of profitability, the government of the particular company gets the taxable amount, which is used for the betterment and development of the respective countries. DividendsDividendsDividends refer to the portion of business earnings paid to the shareholders as gratitude for investing in the company’s equity.read more are also distributed to investors or shareholders.

All the above conditions are applied for profitability, higher revenue, and lower expenses.

Disadvantages

  • It is calculated only in the case of profitability. Tax is not applicable during losses; hence, the business is not sustainable during continuous losses.Poor operational efficiency leads to losses. Thus, there is a question mark on the business’s management, business model, and cost-effectiveness.In case of a higher Tax rate, Net Profit after tax or the Bottom-line of the company decreases, leaving less amount for the shareholders and ‘reserves and surpluses.’

Limitations

  • PAT does not apply in case of operating lossesOperating LossesThe term “net operating loss” refers to an operating loss that occurs when a company’s expenses exceed its revenues in a given period and is reflected in the accounting books in the period when the company’s allowable tax deductions exceed current taxable income.read more.Tax is not calculated during losses.

Important Points

  • It reflects the profitability of a particular business. In other words, higher profitability (compared to its previous year or peers) indicates better business prospects.The growth of a business is determined by Bottom-line growth. If the growth rate of profit after tax is higher than the revenue, then the margin of the business has expanded in real terms, which indicates positivity and better pricing power of the business compared with its peers.However, in tepid economic times, PAT gets reduced as the operating expenses increase more than the revenue growth.

Conclusion

Profit after tax or Net profit or the bottom line is denoted by the earnings left after incurring all the expenses by the company. Therefore, higher profitability denotes higher PAT and lowers profitability denotes lower profit after tax. However, loss or profit from exceptional items sometimes leads to abnormal decreases, increases in profitability,y or even losses.

Sometimes, a tax rebate is adjusted, and a refund is added to the loss amount, which might reduce losses. PAT is the primary aspect of any business which determines the future of the particular business, as the remaining profitability is for further expansion through capital expenditure.

This article has been a guide to Profit After Tax and its definition. Here we discuss the formula to calculate net profit after tax, examples, advantages, and disadvantages. You can learn more about accounting from the following articles –

  • Formula of ProfitThe formula for Profit MarginThe formula for Gross ProfitBook Profit Calculations