Accounting Glossary

Retained Earnings

Definition

The cumulative net income of a company that has not been distributed to shareholders as dividends. Retained earnings are part of shareholders' equity and represent earnings reinvested in the business.

Formula

Ending RE = Beginning RE + Net Income − Dividends

Practice this on iLove-Accounting

Put retained earnings to work

Practice it in Chapter 5: Statement of Owner's Equity, with fresh AI-graded exercises and specific feedback.

Practice this on iLove-Accounting →

← Browse all 116 accounting terms