Year To Date (YTD)

By
rjonesx
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What is ‘Year To Date – YTD’

Year to date (YTD) refers to the period beginning the first day of the current calendar or fiscal year up to the current date. YTD information is useful for analyzing business trends or comparing performance data, and the acronym often modifies concepts such as investment returns, earnings and net pay.

Explaining ‘Year To Date – YTD’

If someone uses YTD in reference to a calendar year, he means the period of time between Jan 1 of the current year and the current date. If he uses YTD in reference to a fiscal year, he means the period of time between the first day of the fiscal year in question and the current date. A fiscal year is a period of time lasting a year but not beginning on Jan 1, used by companies, governments and organizations for accounting purposes. For example, the federal government observes its fiscal year from Oct 1 to Sept 30.

Year-to-Date Returns

YTD return refers to the amount of profit made by an investment since the first day of the calendar year. Investors and analysts use YTD returns to assess the performance of investments and portfolios. To calculate an investment’s YTD return, subtract its value on Jan 1 of the current year from its current value. Then, divide the difference by the value on Jan 1, and multiply the product by 100 to convert it to a percentage. For example, if a portfolio was worth $100,000 on Jan 1, and it’s worth $150,000 today, its YTD return is 50%.

Year-to-Date Earnings

Year-to-date earnings refers to the amount of money an individual has earned from Jan 1 to the current date. This amount typically appears on an employee’s pay stub, along with information about Medicare and Social Security withholdings and income tax payments. YTD earnings may also describe the amount of money an independent contractor or business has earned since the beginning of the year. This amount consists of revenue minus expenses, and small-business owners use YTD earnings to track financial goals and estimate quarterly tax payments.

Year-to-Date Net Pay

Net pay is the difference between employee earnings and the amount of tax withheld from those earnings. To calculate net pay, employees subtract the tax from the gross pay. YTD net pay appears on many paycheck stubs, and this figure includes all of the money earned since Jan 1 of the current year minus all of the tax paid.

Month to Date

Month to date (MTD) refers to the period of time between the 1st of the current month and the current date. For example, if today’s date is May 19, 2016, MTD refers to the period of time from May 1, 2016 to May 18, 2016. Typically, MTD does not include the current date because the end of business has not yet occurred for that day. This metric is used in similar ways as YTD metrics. Namely, business owners, investors and individuals use MTD data to analyze their income, business earnings and investment returns for the month so far.

Further Reading

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