Contractor Break-Even Calculator
Find the monthly job volume that covers your fixed overhead.
Whole jobs, rounded up to cover overhead.
Your financial inputs stay in this browser. Results are planning estimates, not guaranteed outcomes or professional advice.
The math, without the mystery.
What this calculator does
Find the monthly job volume that covers your fixed overhead. It separates the parts of your estimate so you can examine what changes when a price, cost, or timing assumption changes.
Who should use it
Owners with recurring fixed expenses and reasonably similar jobs.
How to use it
Replace the hypothetical inputs with figures from your estimate, contract, or business budget. Enter dollar amounts in USD and percentages as whole percentages: enter 20 for 20%. Results recalculate immediately. Use Reset to return to the example and compare a revised scenario.
How the calculation works
Contribution per job = average revenue − variable cost. Contribution margin = contribution ÷ revenue. Break-even jobs = round up(fixed overhead ÷ contribution). Target jobs = round up((overhead + target profit) ÷ contribution).
A worked example
At $15,000 revenue and $10,000 variable cost, each hypothetical job contributes $5,000. Two jobs cover $10,000 monthly overhead; three produce a $5,000 operating profit.
Common mistakes
Do not include fixed overhead again in variable job costs. A contribution of zero or less cannot cover positive overhead by increasing job volume.