Overview
Are you spending more than you did last year? Is your business income growing? Are expenses increasing faster than revenue?
Comparison Reports place two time periods side by side so you can see what changed and by how much. Compare totals and categories using the dollar difference, percentage difference, or both.
A standard report shows what happened during one period. A Comparison Report adds context by placing two periods side by side, showing whether your income, spending, or business performance increased, decreased, or stayed about the same.
Comparison Reports do not forecast future results. Instead, they help you recognize patterns in your current financial data so you can make more informed decisions about upcoming expenses, cash needs, savings goals, estimated taxes, or retirement contributions.
Comparison Reports are available for:
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Spending
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Spending Summary
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Income
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Income Summary
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Income & Expense
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Profit & Loss (Quicken Business & Personal only)
Why Compare Time Periods?
Comparing periods can help you move beyond the current totals and understand the direction of your finances.
Use a Comparison Report to:
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Identify personal or business expenses that are gradually increasing
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See whether income is growing, declining, or remaining consistent
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Determine whether business expenses are increasing faster than revenue
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Check whether a change—such as canceling a subscription, changing vendors, or raising your rates—made a difference
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Separate seasonal changes from longer-term trends
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Plan for upcoming expenses or periods when income may be lower
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Prepare for tax planning, a business review, or a conversation with a financial professional
Because reports reflect the transactions currently available in Quicken, keeping your accounts updated and your transactions categorized helps you get a more accurate comparison.
Choose What to Compare
Begin with the report and date range you want to review. Quicken treats this as the current period. You can then compare it with:
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Prior year: Compares the current period with the corresponding period from the previous year. Use this option when income or spending is seasonal or when you want to measure year-over-year progress.
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Prior period: Compares the current period with the preceding comparable period. Use it to review recent changes, such as month-to-month or quarter-to-quarter performance.
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Custom: Lets you choose the comparison dates. Use it to evaluate two specific periods, such as before and after a rate increase, major purchase, marketing campaign, or change in household spending.
Quicken automatically fills in the comparison dates based on the option you select. Review the dates shown under Current and Compare to to make sure the periods represent what you intend to measure.
Understand the Differences
You can display the change between the two periods in dollars, percentages, or both:
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Difference ($) shows the actual amount of the change.
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Difference (%) shows the size of the change relative to the comparison period.
For example, if an expense increased from $400 to $600, the dollar difference is $200 and the percentage difference is 50%.
The dollar difference helps you understand the financial impact. The percentage difference helps you recognize the relative size of the change. A $200 increase may be significant for an expense that was previously $400 but less significant for one that was $4,000.
Arrows show whether an amount increased or decreased. The direction is not automatically good or bad. An increase in income may be positive, while an increase in expenses may need attention.
How to Run a Comparison Report
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Select Reports from the left navigation.
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Open a report that supports comparisons.
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Spending
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Spending Summary
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Income
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Income Summary
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Income & Expense
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Profit & Loss (Quicken Business & Personal only)
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Select the business, personal, or combined accounts you want to include.
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Set the date range and any other report filters.
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Select Compare.
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Choose Prior year, Prior period, or Custom.
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Under Columns to show, select Difference ($), Difference (%), or both.
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Review the dates under Current and Compare to.
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Select Apply.
To return to the standard report, select Compare, and then select Clear comparison.
Ways to Use Comparison Reports
Find the Cause of Higher Personal Spending
Your credit card balance feels higher than usual. Run a Spending report for the month to date and compare it with the prior period. The category differences can help you determine whether the increase came from dining, shopping, transportation, or another area. You can then decide whether the change was temporary or whether you want to adjust your spending.
Prepare for Seasonal Household Expenses
Compare your utility or travel spending with the same period last year. If the increase appears to be part of a recurring seasonal pattern, you can plan for a similar expense in your upcoming budget rather than being surprised by it.
Check Whether Business Growth Is Profitable
Your business income increased from $40,000 to $50,000, a 25% increase. Run a Profit & Loss report for the same periods. If expenses increased from $25,000 to $35,000, or 40%, the comparison shows that expenses grew faster than income. You can review the expense categories driving the increase before making hiring, pricing, or purchasing decisions.
Evaluate a Business Decision
You raised your rates at the beginning of July. Use a custom comparison to compare the three months after the increase with a similar three-month period before it. Review both income and Profit & Loss to see whether revenue and profit improved—not just whether you billed more.
Plan When Income Varies
If your personal or business income changes throughout the year, compare recent months with the prior period or prior year. Recognizing when income typically rises or falls can help you plan upcoming purchases, tax payments, savings contributions, or other cash needs.
Get a Meaningful Comparison
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Compare similar periods whenever possible. A full month and a partial month may produce a misleading result.
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Use Prior year when seasonal activity could make a prior-period comparison less useful.
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Consider one-time events, such as a large purchase, bonus, insurance payment, or unusually large client project.
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Review both dollar and percentage differences. Large percentages based on small amounts may have little financial impact.
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Confirm that the same accounts, businesses, and filters are included in both periods.
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Review uncategorized or incorrectly categorized transactions. Inconsistent categorization can make a change appear larger or smaller than it really is.
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Treat the comparison as a starting point. After identifying a change, review the related categories and transactions to understand what caused it.