FREE CALCULATOR
Break-even calculator
When planning the sales needed to cover rent and other monthly costs, use contribution after unit costs and fees to find your break-even volume.
Your numbers
Start with the example, then make it yours.
Fees & advanced options
Include shipping and packaging in unit cost only once. Percentage fees apply to revenue; a fixed fee applies to each unit sold. One unit is treated as one transaction.
Changes the unit only. No exchange-rate conversion.
Saved in this tab only. Reset clears saved inputs.
Your results
ProfitPilot- Contribution per unit
- $13.50
- Revenue at break-even
- $3,725.00
Where the revenue goes
- Cost per unit
- $10.00
- Transaction fees
- $1.50
- Contribution per unit
- $13.50
Amounts are rounded for display; calculations use the full values. Round a target price up to your currency’s smallest unit before selling.
Behind the numbers
Behind the numbers
Contribution = price × (1 − fee rate) − variable cost − fixed fee
Break-even units = round up(monthly fixed costs ÷ contribution)
Break-even revenue = break-even units × price
Rates in formulas are decimals: 30% is calculated as 0.30.
A practical example
What it takes to cover a $1,000 month
At a $25 price, $10 variable cost, 4% payment fee, and $1 fixed fee, each sale contributes $13. With $1,000 in monthly fixed costs, you need 77 sales, or $1,925 in revenue.
What this includes
- Price and variable cost remain constant for every unit. Capacity limits and volume discounts are not modeled.
- Break-even quantity is always a whole number rounded up. Positive contribution and zero fixed costs gives zero required sales.
- A zero or negative contribution cannot cover fixed costs by increasing volume.
Common questions
What belongs in fixed costs?
Costs that stay broadly the same across the sales range you are modeling: rent, software subscriptions, and agreed monthly payroll. Enter costs that change with each sale as variable costs.
Is break-even revenue a profit target?
No. It is the revenue at the first whole unit count that covers the entered costs. To plan a profit target, compare sales volumes in the monthly profit calculator.