Short answer: With $3,000 of fixed costs a month and $105.50 of profit on each $150 sale, you need 29 sales a month to break even, and 67 to also pay yourself $4,000. A 10% price increase cuts that to 59. Pay yourself safely: How to Pay Yourself From an LLC (and How Much Is Safe).
Check our math
Here is the result above, step by step, using the numbers already filled in.
- Profit per sale$150 × (1 − 3% fees) − $40 cost = $105.50
- Break-even sales$3,000 ÷ $105.50 = 28.4 → 29
- Sales to also pay yourself($3,000 + $4,000) ÷ $105.50 = 66.4 → 67
- Break-even revenue29 × $150 = $4,350
- Revenue to pay yourself too67 × $150 = $10,050
- Sales per week66.4 ÷ 4.33 = 15.3
How this calculator works
Break-even is the point where sales cover your costs. Two kinds of cost matter. Fixed costs stay the same each month whatever you sell: rent, software, insurance, loan payments. Costs per sale come with every sale: materials, delivery, labor for that job, and payment or platform fees.
Each sale's price minus its costs and fees is what it contributes toward fixed costs. Divide your fixed costs by that and you have the sales you need to break even. Add what you want to pay yourself to the fixed costs and you get the sales it takes to pay you too.
Fees are easy to forget. Card processing, marketplace commissions and booking platforms usually take a percentage of every sale, so they belong with cost per sale, not fixed costs. The fees slider handles that.
The calculator rounds sales up, since half a sale doesn't pay a bill. Your own pay here is before personal income and self-employment taxes; the owner's pay calculator shows what's safe to take after them.
Sales needed by price
| Price per sale | Profit per sale | Break-even sales | Sales to pay yourself |
|---|---|---|---|
| $60 | $18.20 | 165 | 385 |
| $75 | $32.75 | 92 | 214 |
| $100 | $57.00 | 53 | 123 |
| $125 | $81.25 | 37 | 87 |
| $150 | $105.50 | 29 | 67 |
| $200 | $154.00 | 20 | 46 |
| $250 | $202.50 | 15 | 35 |
| $300 | $251.00 | 12 | 28 |
$3,000 fixed costs a month, $40 cost per sale, 3% fees, $4,000 owner pay.
Worked examples
Lawn care service
$60 a visit, $12 of fuel and supplies per visit, $900 a month of truck payment, insurance and software, and $3,000 a month for the owner.
| Result | |
|---|---|
| Break-even visits | 20 |
| Visits to pay the owner | 85 |
| Per week | 19.5 |
Small bakery item
$8 per item, $3 of ingredients and packaging, $2,500 a month of kitchen rent and costs, $3,500 for the owner.
| Result | |
|---|---|
| Break-even items | 526 |
| Items to pay the owner | 1,261 |
| Per week | 291.1 |
Consultant with project fees
$1,500 per project, $150 of subcontracted help per project, $1,200 a month of software and insurance, and $5,000 a month for the owner.
| Result | |
|---|---|
| Break-even projects | 1 |
| Projects to pay the owner | 5 |
| Profit per project | $1,305.00 |
Using your result
Check the result against what you can realistically sell. If the sales needed to pay yourself are far above today's sales, the plan needs a higher price, a lower cost per sale or lower fixed costs, usually in that order.
Before adding any new monthly cost, divide it by your profit per sale: that's how many extra sales it takes to pay for it. If you're still pricing, the product pricing calculator sets a price from the margin you want.
What it doesn't cover
- It uses one price and one cost per sale. If you sell several things, use your average.
- Owner pay is before your personal taxes.
- It doesn't account for seasonal months; plan for your slow season separately.
- Loan principal payments count as fixed costs here even though only the interest is a tax expense.
Read more
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my break-even point?
Divide your monthly fixed costs by the profit on each sale (price minus cost per sale and fees). Round up: that's the number of sales a month you need to cover costs.
How many sales do I need to pay myself?
Add your monthly pay to fixed costs and divide by profit per sale. With the starting numbers that's 67 sales a month.
What's a contribution margin?
The money each sale leaves after its own costs, available to pay fixed costs and you. Here it's $105.50 per sale, or 70% of the price.
Is it better to raise prices or sell more?
Raising prices usually works faster, because every sale earns more. In this example a 10% price increase cuts the sales you need to pay yourself from 67 to 59.
What if I sell more than one product or service?
Use the average price and average cost per sale across what you sell, weighted by how often each sells. If one item makes most of your profit, run it on its own too.
Does break-even include my own pay?
The first number doesn't; it covers business costs only. The second adds the monthly pay you enter, before your personal taxes.
What is break-even revenue?
The sales dollars it takes to cover fixed costs: break-even sales times price. With the starting numbers it's $4,350 a month, and $10,050 to also pay yourself.
How often should I check my break-even?
Whenever a fixed cost, price or cost per sale changes, and at least once a quarter. Rising supplier costs quietly raise the sales you need.
What counts as a fixed cost?
Anything you pay each month regardless of sales: rent, insurance, software, loan payments, salaried staff and subscriptions.
Sources
This calculator uses only the numbers you enter; it doesn't depend on tax figures.
Updated October 2026 · By the NetTakeHome team. Estimates for planning, not tax, legal or financial advice.