Break-Even Calculator
Translate fixed costs, variable percentages, and price into break-even units with an SVG cost–revenue chart.
📖 Understand this document
The break-even calculator tells you exactly how many hours, projects, or units you need to sell to cover all your fixed and variable costs. Below break-even, you're losing money.
Key components
- Fixed costs — rent, subscriptions, insurance (costs that don't change).
- Variable costs — costs that scale with each project.
- Price per unit — what you charge per hour or project.
- Break-even point — the number of units needed to cover all costs.
Model fixed costs per month (annual rows are converted to monthly).
Fixed costs / month: $950.00
Contribution / unit: $2,125.00
Break-even units: 0.45
Break-even revenue: $1,125.00
Enter your monthly sales volume above to see margin of safety.
| Price × | BE units | BE revenue | MoS % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 70% | 0.64 | $1,120.00 | — |
| 85% | 0.53 | $1,126.25 | — |
| Current | 0.45 | $1,125.00 | — |
| 115% | 0.39 | $1,121.25 | — |
| 130% | 0.34 | $1,105.00 | — |
Revenue vs total cost
Works well with
Frequently asked questions
Break-even is infinite mathematically—raise price or cut variable costs before scaling.
Break-even thinking prevents vanity revenue—you learn how many sales simply cover survival. Pair insights with retainer planning when demand is lumpy.
Update assumptions quarterly; freelancers rarely have static cost bases.