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What a monthly MIS pack should contain

Updated October 2026 · CA Sarvesh V Toshniwal

A monthly MIS (management information) pack tells an owner how the business is doing and why, in time to act. The annual accounts describe a year that has already ended; the MIS shows what is happening now.

The eight parts of a useful MIS pack

1. One-page summary. Five to eight headline numbers, each compared with budget or last month, and two or three lines on what changed and why.
2. Profit and loss. Revenue, gross margin, overheads and profit for the month and the year to date, against budget and the same period last year.
3. Margin analysis. Gross margin by product, customer, branch or channel. This is where you see which parts of the business actually make money.
4. Cash flow. Opening cash, receipts, payments and closing cash, with a forecast for the next 13 weeks.
5. Receivables ageing. Who owes you, how much and for how long, with overdue amounts highlighted.
6. Payables and statutory dues. What you owe suppliers and the government, and when each amount falls due.
7. Inventory. Stock value, days of inventory and slow-moving items, for trading and manufacturing businesses.
8. KPIs. A handful of operating numbers specific to your business, such as orders per day, staff utilisation, average order value or food cost %.

How soon after month-end?

An MIS is most useful while there is still time to change the month ahead. Aim to close the books within 7 to 10 working days of month-end, then share the pack and meet to review it.

What makes an MIS useful

• The same format every month, so trends are easy to spot.
• Numbers that tie back to the books.
• A comparison for every number: budget, last month or last year.
• Plain-language commentary on what changed and why.
• Actions agreed in the review meeting and followed up the next month.

Common mistakes

• Reporting only sales, with no view of margin or cash.
• Too many numbers and no story.
• No comparisons, so nobody can tell whether a number is good or bad.
• Figures that do not match the books, which erodes trust in the whole pack.
• No follow-up, so the same issues come back every month.

General information as of October 2026, not professional advice.