Thank you for making your first post here in the QuickBooks Community forum. I see you want to run multi-year P&L reports in Quickbooks Online. I'll gladly walk you through the guidelines to get this specific report.

Yes, you can run multi-year P&L reports in QuickBooks Online. You only need to customize a few options according to your requirements. Here's how you can do it:

1. Log in to your QuickBooks Online account.

2. Go to the Reports tab.

3. In the search bar, type Profit and Loss and select the specific report from the results.

4. In the Report period section, click Custom and set the date range for the 5-year comparison (e.g., from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2022).

5. In the Display columns by dropdown, choose Calendar Years.

6. Click Run Report.

I'm including these articles you can use in the future whenever you need any report:

• Customize reports in QuickBooks Online.
• Create enhanced custom reports in QuickBooks Online.

With that information, you can compare your company's performance over the past five (5) years. If you have more questions about the P&L report or any QuickBooks-related concerns, post them here again. We are available 24/7 to lend a hand. Have a great!

Perfect! Thank you so much!!

Good day, alan81.

You're very much welcome! It's good to know that the information shared by my colleague works perfectly on your end.

Don't hesitate to get back to the thread whenever you have concerns about running a financial report.

I don't have the option of "calendar years" in the drop down. Any idea why?

Hello  TTT1717. Thanks for chiming in on this thread. Just to confirm, are you using the US version of QuickBooks or the Canadian version. The reason I ask is that the steps provided in this thread are for the US version of QuickBooks. Hence, the Calendar Years aren't showing on the Canadian version of QuickBooks. I look forward to hearing back from you. 

following this thread. I have the US online version and I don't see the calendar years option. Is there another way to get to this to achieve the 5-yr comparison? 

Thanks for joining this thread, jacifield.

I want to make sure you're able to view this comparison report in your QuickBooks Online account.

Upon completing the steps mentioned above I was able to create a 5-year comparison Profit and Loss Report. The only difference I noticed was my option appeared as "Years", not "Calendar Years" but yielded the same result. I recommend double checking the custom date fields before running the report. Here's how it looked in my US QBO test account:

If you're still unable to select Years as a display option you may need to clear the browser cache. Doing so will remove anything that could be preventing the page from loading properly. The following article provides steps to get this done depending on which browser you're using: Clear cache and cookies to fix issues when using QuickBooks Online

Please give this a try and let me know how things look afterward. I'll be here to lend a hand.

There is nothing in the "display columns by dropdown",  It just says other. And when i click on the dropdown it only has other as an option. 

Here is a better example

We appreciate you bringing your concern about the Display columns by dropdown options within QuickBooks Online (QBO). I understand how crucial it is to have the right tools and options available for your financial reporting needs, Trailways.

The limited options in the Display columns by dropdown in the Profit and Loss Comparison report are due to the specific functionalities designed for each type of report in QBO. The Calendar Years option, in particular, is available in the standard Profit and Loss report, which allows for a broader range of time interval selections, such as months, quarters, and years, for comparative analysis over different periods.

I recommend using the Profit and Loss report to view financial data by calendar year. Here’s how you can access and customize this report:

1. Navigate to the Reports menu on your QuickBooks Online dashboard.
2. Search for and select Profit and Loss.
   
3. Once the report is open, click the Customize button in the upper right corner.
4. Under Rows/Columns in the customization menu, select Change columns. 
5. Choose Calendar Years in the Display columns by dropdown.
6. Set your desired date range to include the years you wish to compare and run your report.

    

This setup will enable you to analyze financial data across different calendar years, providing a clear year-over-year comparison of your business’s financial performance.

Additionally, consider exploring these valuable articles to enhance your reports in QuickBooks Online:

• Customize reports in QuickBooks Online
• Reports included in your QuickBooks Online subscription

Furthermore, you may want to explore QuickBooks Live Bookkeeping to streamline your accounting processes, ensure accuracy in your financial records, and provide expert support, allowing you to focus more on growing your business.

We appreciate your proactive approach to optimizing your use of our financial tools. Your ability to navigate and seek solutions for better financial analysis is commendable. Let us know if you need further assistance. Our team is here to ensure you have all the resources you need to manage your financial reporting efficiently.

Is there a way to do this but with 5 years of for example Q1?  So 5 columns Jan-Mar 2021, Jan-Mar 2022, Jan-Mar 2023, Jan-Mar 2024, Jan-Mar 2025?

Thank you!!

Thanks for joining this thread, Acctng.
 

Please know that there's no direct way to display Q1 data in the P&L report alone. What we can do is customize it to show its entries by Quarters, which would display all 4 quarter amounts for the year 2021-2025.

If you're in the Classic view experience, follow these steps:

1. Go to Reports, then Standard reports.
2. Search for and select the Profit and Loss report.
3. Modify the Report period accordingly to display your 2021-2025 data.
4. Click the Customize button.
   
5. Tick the Rows/Columns dropdown and choose Quarters in the Columns field.
6. Once done, hit Run report.
   

Nevertheless, if you're in the Modern view of the P&L report, modify the Report period accordingly, click the Display option, then select Quarters:

Alternatively, you can consider exporting the report to Excel and separate all your Q1 data from there so you can compare them precisely.

For the Classic view interface, click the Export icon and choose Export to Excel:

For the Modern view, select the More actions dropdown and tick Export to Excel:

Additionally, you can also save your reporting customizations to save time modifying your data once you need to review them.

Also, if you're using QuickBooks Online (QBO) Plus and lower versions, you might be interested in exploring the QBO Advanced plan. It offers further flexibility in your reporting alterations and management through the custom report feature.

Do you have more questions about report customizations? Just click the Reply button, and we'll help you out.