The retained earnings calculation or formula is quite simple. C is cash dividends. How To Calculate Total Paid In Capital Accounting And Finance Accounting Books Financial Management To calculate your retained earnings youll need three key pieces of information handy. . For better context though always look at retained earnings from the perspective of your business type. The retained earnings formula is used to calculate the amount of retained earnings that a company has at the end of an accounting period. Find your beginning retained earnings balance. S is stock dividends Sheesh. Essentially you find your retained earnings by adding together your beginning holdings and your net income or loss for the accounting period and then you subtract all dividends paid out both cash and stock. This means that the companys total retained earnings are 120000 for the accounting period. Get Your Free Report Now. Just li...