> ## Knowledge Base Index
> Fetch the complete knowledge base index at: https://help.booksgpt.ai/sitemap.xml
> Use this file to discover available pages before exploring further.
> Pure-Markdown content can be obtained by appending a '.md' suffix to the content URLs listed in the sitemap (without the trailing slash).

# Compare periods and save a report

A report on its own says what happened. Put it beside last month or last year and it says whether things are getting better or worse: did sales grow, did fuel costs jump. That is how a business spots a trend early. Once a report is set up the way you like it, save the view so next month it is one click.

${youtube}[Watch: How to run Profit and Loss and Balance Sheet reports in BooksGPT](yFs7Gqw0d60)

To open a report and read it line by line, see [Run your financial reports](https://help.booksgpt.ai/en/article/run-your-financial-reports-8ej6d5/).

## Compare two periods

1. Open **All pages** in the left sidebar, then click **Reports** and [**Profit & loss**](https://app.booksgpt.ai/go/profit-loss) or [**Balance sheet**](https://app.booksgpt.ai/go/balance-sheet).
2. Set **Report period**. Pick a preset such as **Year to date**, a year under **Fiscal year**, or type a **Start date** and **End date** as MM/DD/YYYY and press Enter. When the period is one fiscal year, the arrows beside it step a year back or forward.
3. In **Compare to**, pick **Previous period**, **Previous year**, or **Custom period**. For a custom period, set its dates under **Comparison period**.
4. On Profit & loss, click **% of income** if you also want each line as a share of income.

![The Profit & Loss controls: Report period set to Year to date with an arrow on each side, and Compare to set to Previous year](https://booksgpt.ai/help/reports/compare-controls-2026-10.png)

![Profit & Loss for Year to date compared with the previous year: each line shows this year, last year, $ Change and % Change](https://booksgpt.ai/help/reports/compare-previous-year-2026-10.png)

Each line now shows the earlier figure beside this one, then **$ Change** and **% Change**. Income that went up shows in green and an expense that went up shows in red, so the lines worth a closer look stand out.

- **Previous period** is the stretch just before yours. A whole month steps back one calendar month, so February compares with January, and a quarter with the quarter before.
- **Previous year** is the same dates one year earlier.
- **Custom period** is a date range on Profit & loss. On the Balance sheet and Trial balance it is a single date, and the column is labelled **Custom date**.
- **Compare to** works on the **Total** view and on a view by class or location. It is not offered on **By month** or **By year**, because those columns already are the comparison.
- The column headings stay at the top as you scroll. A comparison too wide for your screen scrolls sideways in its own box, with the account names held on the left.

[**Trial balance**](https://app.booksgpt.ai/go/trial-balance) has **Compare to** too. It shows a debit and a credit column for each period instead of the change columns, and the line above the table says which dates income and expenses cover.

![Trial balance compared with the previous year: two dated pairs of debit and credit columns](https://booksgpt.ai/help/reports/tb-compare.png?v=2026-09-24)

## Save a view you run often

1. On Profit & loss or the Balance sheet, set it up the way you want it.
2. Click the star at the right end of the title row. Its name is [**Saved reports**](https://app.booksgpt.ai/go/saved-reports).
3. Click **Save current view…**, give it a name, and click **Save report**.

![The Saved reports menu under the star, with Save current view…](https://booksgpt.ai/help/reports/save-menu.png?v=2026-09-11)

The view keeps the period, basis, comparison, **% of income**, the columns and the rows you chose. Saving needs a role that can edit the books.

To change a saved view, open it, make your change, then click the star and choose the **Update** line with the view's name.

| A preset like This month is not frozen. Open the saved view next month and the dates move with you.

To see every saved view, open **All pages** in the left sidebar, then click **Reports** and **Saved reports**. Everyone in the workspace shares the list.

![The Saved reports list, with Monthly P&L and YTD vs last year](https://booksgpt.ai/help/reports/saved-list.png)

## Email, print, or export a report

Four icons sit at the right end of the title row. Point at one to see its name.

- **Saved reports** (the star): your saved views, as above.
- **Email this report** (the envelope): sends the report as a PDF to a client contact who has confirmed their email address. If you have none yet, the window links you to Settings to add one. Only the workspace owner and a bookkeeper see it.
- **Print or save as PDF** (the printer): opens your browser's print window. If the printout carries a web address, a date or page numbers, turn off **Headers and footers** in the print window. Emailing the report gives a clean PDF without them.
- **Export this report** (the download arrow): pick **Excel (.xlsx)** or **CSV (.csv)**. Choose Excel to keep the sub-account indents, the subtotals and the number formats.

![The Profit & Loss title row with its four icons, and the Export menu open on Excel (.xlsx) and CSV (.csv)](https://booksgpt.ai/help/reports/export-menu-2026-10.png)

To send a set of reports to someone every month without doing it by hand, see [Send monthly reports to a client automatically](https://help.booksgpt.ai/en/article/report-packs-one-pdf-on-a-schedule-1xsmcoh/).

## If something goes wrong

- **Compare to is missing.** The report is on **By month** or **By year**. Click **Total**, then pick the comparison again.
- **The star menu has no way to save.** Your role can only read the books. Ask the workspace owner to save it, or to change your role.
- **There is no envelope icon.** Only the workspace owner and a bookkeeper can email a report. Use **Print or save as PDF** or **Export this report** instead.