Break-even calculator
Find how many sales you need to cover your fixed costs. Enter fixed costs, your price per unit and the variable cost per unit.
Enter fixed costs, a price and a variable cost lower than the price.
How it works
- Contribution per unit = price − variable cost
- Break-even units = fixed costs ÷ contribution per unit, rounded up
- Break-even revenue = units × price
Worked example. Fixed costs 3,000, price 50 and variable cost 20 give a contribution of 30, so break-even is 100 units, or 5,000 in revenue.
Common questions
What counts as a fixed cost?
Costs you pay however much you sell, such as rent, software and insurance.
Why round up?
You cannot sell part of a unit, and 99.4 units would still be a loss, so the answer is the next whole unit.
What if the price is below the variable cost?
Each sale loses money, so no volume breaks even. The calculator shows nothing rather than a misleading number.