US Annual Report Template
A free, US GAAP-aligned annual report template for US companies, with an editable results summary and correct $ formatting.
- Accounting standard
- US GAAP
- Financial year
- Any 12-month period; the calendar year (Jan 1 – Dec 31) is most common
- Currency
- USD ($)
- Filed with
- SEC (public companies) — no general registry for private firms
| 2026 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $900,000 | $900,000 |
| Cost of goods sold | $540,000 | $540,000 |
| Gross profit | $360,000 | $360,000 |
| Operating expenses (SG&A) | $240,000 | $240,000 |
| Operating income | $120,000 | $120,000 |
| Income tax expense | $30,000 | $30,000 |
| Net income | $90,000 | $90,000 |
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How to Fill In a US Annual Report Template
An annual report brings together a year’s worth of financial results into a single pack: a summary of performance, the balance sheet at year-end, and the statement of cash flows for the period. Even though only SEC-registered public companies must publish a formal annual report (as part of the Form 10-K), private US companies use the same structure to present results to lenders, investors, boards and partners.
Building the pack in a consistent US GAAP format makes it easier to compare one year against the next and gives anyone reading it — a bank, an investor, or the IRS — a familiar layout to work from.
What is an annual report?
An annual report is a year-end package that combines a narrative summary of the business’s performance with its primary financial statements — the income statement, balance sheet and statement of cash flows — plus supporting notes on accounting policies. For public companies it is filed with the SEC as part of Form 10-K; for private companies it is an internal or lender-facing document with no filing requirement.
What to include
- Revenue — total sales for the fiscal year.
- Cost of goods sold — the direct cost of producing what was sold, deducted to reach gross profit.
- Gross profit — revenue less cost of goods sold.
- Operating expenses (SG&A) — selling, general and administrative costs for running the business.
- Operating income — gross profit less operating expenses.
- Income tax expense — federal and state income tax for the year.
- Net income — the final result after tax, the headline number for the year.
Step-by-step guide
- Open with a cover page showing your company name, logo, fiscal year and the reporting period covered.
- Write a short management discussion and analysis (MD&A) summarizing the year’s performance, the main drivers of revenue and cost, key risks, and the outlook for next year.
- Insert the income statement, entering revenue, cost of goods sold, operating expenses and tax to let the template calculate gross profit, operating income and net income.
- Insert the balance sheet as of the last day of the fiscal year, listing current and non-current assets, current and long-term liabilities, and stockholders’ equity.
- Insert the statement of cash flows for the full year, covering operating, investing and financing activities.
- Add notes disclosing your accounting policies (e.g. revenue recognition, depreciation method) and any other disclosures required under US GAAP for your size of business.
- Review all three statements together to confirm the net income figure and cash position are consistent across the pack.
- Have an owner, CFO or accountant sign off before distributing the report to lenders, investors or the board.
US-specific rules
There is no general legal requirement for private US companies to prepare or file an annual report — it is a business choice driven by lenders, investors or internal governance. SEC-registered public companies, by contrast, must include annual financial statements as part of Form 10-K, filed 60–90 days after fiscal year-end depending on filer status, in Inline XBRL via EDGAR using the US GAAP Financial Reporting Taxonomy.
Whether or not you are required to file, keeping the annual report aligned to US GAAP classification (current versus non-current, a full income-statement build to net income, and the three-part cash flow structure) means the figures will hold up to scrutiny from a bank, investor or the IRS without rework.
