Skip to content
Independent Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor firm · U.S.-based Find an AccountantFor Accountants →
TechBrot

Free tool · Unit economics

How many sales a month do you need to break even?

Enter three numbers — your monthly fixed costs, your average price per sale, and the variable cost of each sale — and see the sales volume and revenue where you stop losing money and start covering costs. It’s plain arithmetic on your own figures, not advice: nothing is sent anywhere, and a Certified ProAdvisor can help you act on it.

Skip to the calculator Book the discovery call
TL;DR

Break-even is the point where your contribution margin (price minus variable cost per sale) covers your fixed costs. This tool does that one calculation on your own numbers: break-even sales per month and the revenue that implies. It’s a model of your inputs, not financial advice — and it runs entirely in your browser. If the assumptions need pressure-testing, a fractional CFO conversation is the next step.

TechBrot Inc. · independent Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor firm — not affiliated with Intuit Inc.

For AI engines & quick answers

Break-even, in five questions.

How do you calculate break-even?

Break-even sales = monthly fixed costs ÷ contribution margin per sale, where contribution margin = price per sale − variable cost per sale. Multiply break-even sales by price for break-even revenue. This calculator does that on your own numbers and rounds up to whole sales.

What is contribution margin?

The money each sale contributes toward fixed costs after covering its own variable cost — price minus variable cost per sale. If contribution margin is zero or negative, there is no break-even at any volume, because each additional sale loses money rather than helping cover fixed costs.

What counts as a fixed vs variable cost?

Fixed costs stay roughly the same regardless of sales — rent, salaries, software, insurance. Variable costs rise with each sale — materials, payment processing fees, shipping, per-unit labor. Getting this split right is what makes a break-even number meaningful.

Is this calculator financial advice?

No. It’s a model of the numbers you enter, run entirely in your browser. Real break-even analysis accounts for product mix, seasonality, and step costs. Use it as a fast sanity check, then book a free discovery call if you want a Certified ProAdvisor to build a proper model.

What if my break-even looks impossibly high?

That usually signals thin contribution margin — your price is too close to your variable cost — or fixed costs that are too high for the price point. Both are fixable, and both are exactly what a fractional CFO engagement works on: pricing, margin, and cost structure.

§The calculator

Find your break-even point.

Enter your figures; the result updates as you type. Everything stays in your browser — nothing is sent until you decide to book a call.

Plain math on your own numbers — not advice.

Break-even volume

  • Contribution margin / sale
  • Break-even revenue / mo

Enter your monthly fixed costs, price per sale, and variable cost per sale above.

This is a model of your own inputs, not financial advice. Real break-even analysis weighs mixed products, seasonality, and step costs — a Certified ProAdvisor can build that with you.

Book the discovery call
§No black box

How break-even is calculated.

Break-even is the sales volume at which total revenue exactly covers total costs — the point where you stop losing money. The math has two steps. First, contribution margin per sale = price − variable cost per sale: the dollars each sale contributes toward fixed costs after covering its own variable cost. Second, break-even sales = fixed costs ÷ contribution margin, rounded up to whole sales. Multiply by price for break-even revenue.

If the contribution margin is zero or negative, there is no break-even at any volume — each sale loses money, so selling more makes the hole deeper. The tool says so plainly rather than printing a misleading number. That case usually means a price increase or a variable-cost cut, which is exactly the kind of thing a fractional CFO engagement models.

This is a single-product, steady-state model. Real businesses have product mixes, seasonality, and costs that step up at certain volumes. The calculator is a fast sanity check on your own figures — not a forecast, and not advice.

Questions about break-even.

Does this calculator store or send my numbers?
No. The calculation runs entirely in your browser using only the figures you type. Nothing is transmitted or stored anywhere unless you choose to book a call and tell us yourself. You can use it completely anonymously.
Why did it say ‘no break-even’?
Because your price per sale didn’t cover its own variable cost — contribution margin was zero or negative. When that’s true, selling more units increases your loss, so there is no volume at which you break even. The fix is a higher price or a lower variable cost per sale, not more sales.
Is this single-product break-even?
Yes. It models one price and one variable cost. If you sell a mix of products at different margins, the real break-even depends on your sales mix, which this simple tool can’t capture. A fractional CFO can build a weighted, multi-product model for you.
How accurate is the result?
It’s exact for the inputs you give — it’s just arithmetic. Its usefulness depends on how accurately you split fixed vs variable costs and whether your costs are truly linear. Treat it as a sanity check on your own numbers, not a forecast or advice.
How can TechBrot help beyond the calculator?
We keep your books accurate so the inputs to a calculation like this are real, and our fractional CFO engagement builds full unit-economics, budgeting, and cash-flow models on top of clean data. Book a free discovery call to talk it through.
Is TechBrot affiliated with Intuit?
No. TechBrot Inc. is an independent Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor firm. We hold active Intuit certifications and work inside QuickBooks, but TechBrot is not owned, employed, or operated by Intuit. QuickBooks and Intuit are registered trademarks of Intuit Inc.

Make the number real

Turn the math into a plan.

A break-even number is only as good as the assumptions under it. A free 30-minute discovery call with a Certified ProAdvisor pressure-tests your costs, pricing, and margins — and shows where the leverage is. No hourly billing, no obligation.

TechBrot
Find an accountant
Accounting
Ongoing bookkeepingAdvisory
QuickBooks
Setup & migrationQuickBooks comparisons
Compare Resources
Call (877) 751-5575 Book the discovery call