Break-Even Analysis: Know When You'll Start Making Money
Every business has a magic number: the point where revenue covers all costs and you start actually making money. Break-even analysis helps you find that number—and make smarter decisions about pricing, costs, and growth.
What Is Break-Even?
The break-even point is where your total revenue equals your total costs. Below it, you're losing money. Above it, you're profitable.
At break-even, profit is exactly $0
Why Break-Even Matters
- Planning: Know how many sales you need before launching
- Pricing: See how price changes affect profitability
- Goal-setting: Set realistic sales targets
- Risk assessment: Understand your cushion if sales drop
- Investment decisions: Evaluate if new equipment/hires pay off
The Break-Even Formula
There are two ways to express break-even: in units sold or in dollars of revenue.
Break-Even in Units
Fixed Costs ÷ (Price - Variable Cost per Unit)
Answers: "How many units do I need to sell?"
Break-Even in Dollars
Fixed Costs ÷ Contribution Margin Ratio
Answers: "How much revenue do I need?"
Key Terms Explained
Fixed Costs
Costs that stay the same regardless of sales: rent, salaries, insurance, software subscriptions, loan payments. You pay these whether you sell 0 units or 1,000.
Variable Costs
Costs that change with each sale: materials, shipping, sales commissions, payment processing fees. Sell more = pay more in variable costs.
Contribution Margin
Price minus variable cost per unit. This is what each sale "contributes" toward covering fixed costs. Also expressed as a ratio: (Price - Variable Cost) ÷ Price.
Calculating Step by Step
Let's walk through a real calculation for a coffee shop.
Coffee Shop Example
- Rent: $3,000
- Salaries: $8,000
- Insurance: $400
- Utilities: $600
- Equipment loans: $500
- Total Fixed: $12,500/month
- Coffee beans: $0.50
- Cup, lid, sleeve: $0.25
- Milk/cream: $0.30
- Card processing (3%): $0.15
- Total Variable: $1.20/coffee
Average coffee price: $5.00
$5.00 - $1.20 = $3.80 per coffee
$12,500 ÷ $3.80 = 3,290 coffees/month
Or about 110 coffees per day (30 days)
Now the owner knows: sell fewer than 110 coffees daily and you're losing money. Sell more and you're profitable. Every coffee beyond 110 adds $3.80 to profit.
Real-World Examples
| Business | Fixed/Mo | Price | Var Cost | Break-Even |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freelance Designer | $2,000 | $100/hr | $5/hr | 21 hours |
| E-commerce Store | $5,000 | $40 avg | $18 avg | 228 orders |
| Food Truck | $4,500 | $12 | $4 | 563 meals |
| SaaS Product | $15,000 | $49/mo | $3/mo | 326 customers |
Using Break-Even for Decisions
Break-even analysis isn't just a one-time calculation. Use it to model different scenarios.
Scenario Analysis
"What if I raise prices 10%?"
Coffee shop at $5.50: new contribution margin = $4.30. New break-even = 2,907 coffees (down from 3,290). You need 12% fewer sales to break even.
"What if I hire another employee?"
Adding $3,000/month salary: new fixed costs = $15,500. New break-even = 4,079 coffees. You need 789 more sales just to cover the hire.
"What if I find a cheaper supplier?"
Reducing variable cost to $1.00: new contribution margin = $4.00. New break-even = 3,125 coffees. That $0.20 savings cuts break-even by 165 coffees.
Target Profit Analysis
You can also calculate how many sales you need to hit a specific profit target:
Units for Target Profit
(Fixed Costs + Target Profit) ÷ Contribution Margin
Coffee shop wants $5,000 profit: ($12,500 + $5,000) ÷ $3.80 = 4,605 coffees/month
Limitations to Know
Break-even analysis is useful, but it simplifies reality. Keep these limitations in mind:
Where Break-Even Falls Short
- Assumes constant prices: In reality, you might discount for volume or adjust prices seasonally.
- Assumes linear costs: Variable costs may decrease at scale (bulk discounts) or increase (overtime pay).
- Ignores time value: Breaking even in 6 months is very different from breaking even in 3 years.
- Single product focus: Most businesses sell multiple products with different margins. You need a blended analysis.
- Doesn't account for growth costs: Scaling often requires stepped increases in fixed costs (new hires, bigger space).
Despite these limitations, break-even analysis gives you a concrete target to aim for. Use it as a starting point, not the final word.
Calculate Your Break-Even Point
Use our Break-Even Calculator to find your magic number in seconds.
Try the Calculator