Are retained earnings the same as net income? 1.01K views 0 Durrant 0 Comments What goes in the retained earnings? If net income is posted in the retained earnings then why net income and retained earnings are not the same in the financial statements that I have? 1 Answer ActiveVotedNewestOldest 0 Dentry Posted 0 Comments No, these two are not the same! Retained earnings is the accumulated net income less any dividends paid. So the retained earnings account includes the net income for the year plus the net income for all previous years less any dividend paid etc. Register or Login Search for: