Year to Date (YTD) generally means the total amount of earnings, income, profits, etc., recognized from the start of the year to the current date. Using the calendar year would mean the 1st of January through the desired current date.
You can calculate the YTD measurement in a variety of ways. Let’s look at some examples.
Year to Date Earnings
For example, John is an employee and wants to determine his YTD compensation as of August 1, 2023. John would add up all of his paychecks received from January 1, 2023, to August 1, 2023, and this total would represent his YTD earnings from employment.
Year to Date Investment Return
For example, Adam purchased $2,000 of stock in Company XYZ on October 1, 2022. On December 31, 2022, the value of the stock had increased to $2,300. On March 31, 2023, Adam wants to calculate the YTD return on the stock. The fair market value (FMV) on March 31, 2023 is $2,100.
The change in value from the beginning of the year (January 1, 2023) to the current date is a $200 decrease in value. Adam’s YTD return on the stock is an unrealized loss of ($200). It is important to note, however, that Adam’s overall gain/loss on the investment is still positive at $100 ($2,100 current FMV minus $2,000 original cost basis).