By WILL KENTON

Reviewed by MARGARET JAMES

Fact checked by SUZANNE KVILHAUG

编写人：WILL KENTON

审核人：MARGARET JAMES

事实核查人：SUZANNE KVILHAUG

What Is an Operating Expense?

什么是营业费用？

An operating expense is an expense that a business incurs through its normal business operations. Often abbreviated as OpEx, operating expenses include rent, equipment, inventory costs, marketing, payroll, insurance, step costs, and funds allocated for research and development.

营业费用是企业在正常经营活动过程中产生的费用，常用缩写为OpEx，包括租金、设备、存货成本、营销、工资、保险、阶梯式成本以及研发资金。

KEY TAKEAWAYS

关键要点

·An operating expense is an expense that a business incurs through its normal business operations. 

营业费用是企业在正常经营活动过程中产生的费用。

·Operating expenses include rent, equipment, inventory costs, marketing, payroll, insurance, step costs, and funds allocated for research and development.

营业费用包括租金、设备、存货成本、营销、工资、保险、阶梯式成本以及研发资金。

·The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) allows businesses to deduct operating expenses if the business operates to earn profits.

美国国税局允许企业在经营获利的情况下扣除营业费用。

·By contrast, a non-operating expense is an expense incurred by a business that is unrelated to the business's core operations.

相比之下，营业外支出是企业发生的与核心业务运营无关的费用。

·A capital expense is a different type of expense that relates to acquiring, maintaining, or upgrading an asset.

资本支出是另一种费用，与获得、维护或升级资产相关。

Understanding Operating Expenses

了解营业费用

Operational Activities

经营活动

Operating expenses are the costs that a company incurs while performing its normal operational activities. Operational activities are those tasks that must be undertaken from day to day to operate the business and generate revenue. Operating expenses are different from expenses relating to, for example, investing in projects and borrowing.

营业费用是在正常经营活动过程中产生的费用。经营活动是指每天为经营业务和产生收入而必须进行的活动。营业费用不同于与投资项目和借款等相关的费用。

Operating expenses can differ according to what a company does. In fact, some activities (and expenses) might be considered operational in one industry but not so in another. It's important to understand the distinction due to the tax-deductibility of operating expenses. Some common types of operating expenses include:

公司的业务不同，营业费用也就不同。事实上，某些活动（和费用）在某一行业可能被视为经营活动（和营业费用），但是在另一个行业则不然。了解营业费用可减税这一点非常重要。常见营业费用包括：

·Rent

·Salaries and wages

·Accounting and legal fees

·Bank charges

·Sales and marketing fees

·Office supplies

·Repairs

·Utilities expenses

·Cost of goods sold

·租金

·薪金和工资

·会计和法律费用

·银行费用

·销售和营销费用

·办公用品

·维修

·公用事业费

·销货成本

Managing Operating Expenses

管理营业费用

One of the responsibilities that management must contend with is determining how to reduce operating expenses without significantly affecting a firm's ability to compete with its competitors.

管理层负责决定如何在不显著影响公司与竞争对手相竞争的能力的情况下减少营业费用。

Operating expenses are necessary and unavoidable for most businesses. Some firms successfully reduce operating expenses to gain a competitive advantage and increase earnings. However, reducing operating expenses can also compromise the integrity and quality of operations. Finding the right balance can be difficult but can yield significant rewards.

对于大多数企业来说，营业费用是必要且不可避免的。一些企业成功减少营业费用，获得竞争优势，增加收益。但是，减少营业费用也会损害经营活动的完整性和质量。想要在两者间找到适当的平衡，绝非易事，但可以带来丰厚的回报。

An income statement tracks the income and expenses of a company over a certain period to provide an image of its profitability. Income statements typically categorize expenses into six groups: cost of goods sold; selling, general, and administrative costs; depreciation and amortization; other operating expenses; interest expenses; and income taxes.

利润表跟踪公司在特定期间内的收入和支出，反映公司在该期间的盈利能力。在利润表中，费用通常分为以下六类：销货成本；销售、一般及管理费用；折旧和摊销；其他营业费用；利息费用；以及所得税。

All these expenses can be considered operating expenses, but when determining operating income using an income statement, interest expenses and income taxes are excluded.

上述所有费用可被视为营业费用，但是，通过利润表确定营业利润时，不包括利息费用和所得税。

Fixed and Variable Costs

固定费用和可变费用

Operating expenses can be fixed or variable. A fixed cost is set for a fixed period of time; it doesn't change. It typically relates to recurring expenses such as rent, interest payments, insurance payments, and bank fees. It isn't affected by the production levels of goods and services.

营业费用可以是固定的，也可以是可变的。固定费用在特定期限内保持不变，通常涉及租金、利息支付、保险费和银行费用等经常性费用。这类费用不受商品和服务生产水平的影响。

A variable cost can change, depending on the production and sales levels of products or services.

可变费用会随着商品或服务生产水平的改变而改变。

A company can better manage its operating expenses when its managers understand the difference between its fixed and variable costs.

公司的管理者若了解固定费用与可变费用之间的区别，就能够更好地管理营业费用。

Operating vs. Non-Operating Expenses

营业费用与营业外支出

A non-operating expense is an expense incurred by a business that is unrelated to the business's core operations. The most common types of non-operating expenses are interest charges or other costs of borrowing and losses on the disposal of assets. Accountants sometimes remove non-operating expenses to examine the performance of the business, ignoring the effects of financing and other irrelevant issues.

营业外支出是企业发生的与核心业务运营无关的费用，常见的营业外支出包括利息费用或其他借款成本以及资产处置损失。会计师有时会剔除营业外支出来考察企业绩效，不考虑融资和其他不相关问题产生的影响。

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) allows businesses to deduct operating expenses if the business operates to earn profits. However, the IRS and most accounting principles distinguish between operating expenses and capital expenditures.

美国国税局允许企业在经营获利的情况下扣除营业费用。但是，美国国税局和大多数会计准则对营业费用与资本支出进行了区分。

Example

示例

Here's a look at a simple income statement that shows the operating expenses for a company.

下表是简易版利润表，其中包括公司的营业费用。

Company B

公司B

Income Statement

利润表

For Year Ended September 28, 2019 (in thousands)

截至2019年9月28日止年度（单位：千美元）

Net sales净销售额                                      4,358,100

Cost of sales销售成本                                   2,738,714

Gross profit总利润                                      1,619,386

Selling and operating expenses销售和营业费用               560,430

General and administrative expenses一般费用和行政费用       293,729

Total operating expenses营业费用总额                       854,159

Operating income营业利润                                 765,227

Other income其他收入                                     960

Gain (loss) on financial instruments金融工具收益（损失）       5,513

(Loss) gain on foreign currency汇兑（损失）收益              (12,649)

Interest expense利息费用                                  (18,177)

Income before taxes税前收入                               (740,874)

Income tax expense所得税费用                              257,642

Net income净利润                                         483,232

Source: Harvard Business School Online

来源：Harvard Business School Online

OpEx vs. CapEx

营业费用与资本支出

Abbreviated as CapEx, capital expenditures are purchases that a business makes as an investment. Capital expenditures include costs related to acquiring, maintaining, or upgrading tangible and intangible assets. Tangible business assets include real estate, factory equipment, computers, office furniture, and other physical capital assets. Intangible assets include intellectual property, copyrights, patents, and trademarks.

资本支出的英文缩写为CapEx，是企业作为投资进行的购买，包括与获得、维护或升级有形资产和无形资产相关的成本。有形营业资产包括房地产、工厂设备、计算机、办公家具及其他实物资本资产。无形资产包括知识产权、版权、专利和商标。

The IRS treats capital expenses differently than it treats operating expenses. According to the IRS, operating expenses must be ordinary (common and accepted in the business trade) and necessary (helpful and appropriate in the business trade). In general, businesses are allowed to write off operating expenses for the year in which the expenses were incurred. Alternatively, businesses must capitalize capital expenses/costs.

美国国税局处理资本支出的方式与处理营业费用的方式不同。根据美国国税局的规定，营业费用必须是常规（商业贸易中常见且可接受）及必要（商业贸易中有用且适宜）的费用。一般来说，企业可以冲销费用发生当年的营业费用。或者，企业必须将资本费用/成本进行资本化。

For example, if a business spends $100,000 on payroll, it can write off the entirety of that expense the year it is incurred, but if a business spends $100,000 buying a large piece of factory equipment or a vehicle, it must capitalize the expense or write it off over time. The IRS has guidelines related to how businesses must capitalize assets, and there are different classes for different types of assets.

比如，一家企业发放的工资为100,000美元，其可在发生当年冲销全部费用；但是，如果一家企业花费100,000美元购买一件大型工厂设备或车辆，则该企业必须在一段时间内将费用资本化或冲销。美国国税局制定了有关企业如何将资产资本化的指导方针，针对不同类型的资产划分了不同类别。

What Is a Non-Operating Expense?

什么是营业外支出？

A non-operating expense is a cost that is unrelated to the business's core operations. The most common types of non-operating expenses are interest charges or other costs of borrowing and losses on the disposal of assets. Accountants sometimes remove non-operating expenses to examine the performance of the business, ignoring the effects of financing and other irrelevant issues.

营业外支出是企业发生的与核心业务运营无关的费用，常见的营业外支出包括利息费用或其他借款成本以及资产处置损失。会计师有时会剔除营业外支出来考察企业绩效，不考虑融资和其他不相关问题产生的影响。

What Are Capital Expenses?

什么是资本支出？

CapEx includes costs related to acquiring or upgrading capital assets such as property, plant, and equipment. These expenses, unlike operating expenses, can be capitalized for tax purposes. The IRS has guidelines related to how businesses must capitalize assets, and there are different classes for different types of assets.

资本支出包括与获得或升级不动产、机器和设备等资本资产相关的成本。这些费用与营业费用不同，可以基于税收目的进行资本化。美国国税局制定了有关企业如何将资产资本化的指导方针，针对不同类型的资产划分了不同类别。

What Is the Tax Treatment for Operating Expenses?

营业费用的税务处理是什么？

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) allows businesses to deduct operating expenses if the business operates to earn profits. According to the IRS, operating expenses must be ordinary (common and accepted in the business trade) and necessary (helpful and appropriate in the business trade). In general, businesses are allowed to write off operating expenses for the year in which the expenses were incurred.

美国国税局允许企业在经营获利的情况下扣除营业费用。根据美国国税局的规定，营业费用必须是常规（商业贸易中常见且可接受）及必要（商业贸易中有用且适宜）的费用。一般来说，企业可以冲销费用发生当年的营业费用。

The Bottom Line

总结

Operating expenses are the expenses that arise from daily, core operational activities conducted by a company. They are the costs involved in running a business to generate income. Operating expenses can be fixed or variable. Typically, they're tax deductible as long as a company operates to earn a profit, expenses are commonly known, and necessary.

营业费用是公司日常核心经营活动发生的费用，是涉及经营企业产生收入的成本，可以是固定费用，也可以是可变费用。通常来说，只要公司运营是为了赚取利润，费用是常规及必要的费用，营业费用可减税。