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Break-Even Calculator

Find how many units or jobs you need to sell to cover your costs — and how many to hit a profit goal. Free, no signup, your numbers stay in your browser.

Break-even units
250
Break-even revenue
$25,000.00
Contribution margin
$40.00 · 40.0%

You need to sell 250 to cover your fixed costs — every unit past that earns $40.00 toward profit.

No signup to start · Your data stays in your browser · Free PDF export

How to use this break-even calculator

Enter three numbers and read the answer live: your fixed costs for the period (rent, insurance, salaries, software — what you pay no matter what), your price per unit or job, and the variable cost of delivering one (materials, subs, fees). The tool shows the units and revenue you need to break even. Add a target profit and it also shows what it takes to hit that goal.

The break-even formula

Break-even is simple once you separate fixed from variable costs:

A worked example

Say your business has $10,000 of fixed costs a month, you charge $100 per job, and each job costs you $60 in materials and labor. Your contribution margin is $40 (a 40% ratio), so you break even at 250 jobs — $25,000 in revenue. Want $4,000 of profit on top? That is (10,000 + 4,000) ÷ 40 = 350 jobs. Every job past break-even drops its full $40 margin to your bottom line.

Why break-even matters

Break-even is the first number to check before you drop a price, take on a new fixed cost, or set a monthly goal. If a discount pushes your break-even past what you can realistically sell, it is a bad deal no matter how busy it makes you. Pair this with the markup vs. margin guide to make sure your prices leave real profit, and quote the work itself with the free estimate templates.

Frequently asked questions

How do you calculate the break-even point?

Divide your fixed costs by your contribution margin per unit (price minus variable cost). The result is how many units or jobs you must sell to cover your fixed costs. Multiply that by your price to get break-even revenue. This tool does the math live as you type.

What is contribution margin?

Contribution margin is what each sale contributes toward covering fixed costs and profit — your price minus the variable cost of delivering that one unit or job. As a percentage of price it is the contribution margin ratio. The higher it is, the fewer sales you need to break even.

What are fixed vs. variable costs?

Fixed costs stay the same no matter how much you sell — rent, insurance, salaries, software, a vehicle payment. Variable costs scale with each sale — materials, subcontractors, and payment fees. Break-even analysis separates the two so you know how many sales cover the fixed base.

How do I use break-even to hit a profit goal?

Enter a target profit and the calculator adds it to your fixed costs, then shows the units and revenue needed to reach it. It answers "how many jobs must I book to make $X this month" — the number every owner actually wants.

Is this break-even calculator free?

Yes. It is free and unlimited, and your numbers stay in your browser — nothing is uploaded. Use it to sanity-check a price, a new hire, or a monthly sales goal before you commit.

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