Tililt

Break-Even Calculator

How many units you must sell before you stop losing money.

How it works

Every unit sold contributes price minus variable cost towards the fixed costs. Break-even is where those contributions exactly cover them:

units = fixed costs / (price - variable cost)

The contribution margin is the more diagnostic number. A thin margin means break-even is enormously sensitive to price — a 10% discount on a 20% margin business needs a 100% increase in volume just to stand still.

Common questions

What counts as a fixed cost?

Anything that does not change with volume over the period: rent, salaried staff, insurance, software. Materials, shipping and commission are variable.

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