Break-even calculator

Updated 2026-10-03 · SBA Loan editorial

Find the monthly and daily sales volume needed to cover your stated costs.

What the result measures

Contribution per unit equals selling price less variable cost. Operating break-even units equal monthly fixed operating costs divided by contribution per unit. The second threshold adds the entered monthly principal and interest payment to fixed costs. It does not deduct depreciation.

Daily requirements divide monthly volume by trading days. The result rounds required monthly units upward to a whole sale and uses that quantity for sales revenue. A negative or zero contribution means no finite sales volume can cover positive fixed costs at those prices.

Choose the unit carefully

For a coffee shop, use the whole customer ticket, including the product mix and packaging. For a wash, use a paid session with its water, chemicals, energy and transaction fee. A mix change can invalidate the average even if the headline price stays the same.

What to include in fixed costs

Enter the monthly base roster, owner compensation, rent and other expenses that remain payable at the modeled volume. Use the separate debt field for principal and interest; do not also include interest in the operating-cost field. Include taxes or additional cash obligations only in a fuller forecast where their timing is explicit.

The calculator does not model ramp-up, equipment capacity or working-capital investment. Compare its required daily volume with the coffee shop capacity example or the wash utilization example.