Break-Even Calculator for Contractors
Find the exact revenue — and the number of jobs — you need each month just to cover your fixed costs. It's the baseline every contractor should know cold before quoting another price.
Break-Even Point
Bills you pay whether or not you book a job — truck, insurance, office, software, base wages.
A realistic average across your mix of jobs, not your biggest ticket.
Cost that only exists because a specific job happened — materials, subs, dump fees, permits.
Your Live Results
Real-timeNumbers like these only make you money when the phone's actually ringing. We build the SEO and web presence that keeps your pipeline full — speak with the owner.
How to use this calculator
How to Use This Tool
Enter your monthly fixed costs
These are the bills you pay whether or not you book a single job — truck payment, insurance, office, software, base wages, loan payments. Total them for a typical month.
Enter your average price per job
Use a realistic average across your mix of jobs, not your biggest ticket. If you mostly do $3,000 jobs with a few $8,000 ones, a $3,500–$4,000 average is more honest.
Enter your variable cost per job
This is the cost that only exists because a specific job happened — materials, subcontractors, dump fees, permits, fuel to the site. It scales with volume, unlike fixed costs.
Read your break-even point
The calculator shows the revenue you must bill and the number of jobs you must close each month just to hit zero. Everything above that is real profit.
The numbers behind your pricing
Break-even is the point where total revenue exactly covers total costs — fixed plus variable. Below it, every job you book still loses money because the fixed costs aren't fully covered. Above it, every additional job contributes profit at the rate of price minus variable cost. Knowing this number transforms how you think about slow months, discounts, and which jobs to chase.
The math is simple: contribution margin per job equals average price minus variable cost per job. Divide total fixed costs by that contribution margin and you get the number of jobs to break even. Multiply by average price and you get the revenue. The calculator does this instantly so you can model scenarios — what if you raise prices 10%, what if you cut a truck payment, what if your average job shrinks.
The most common contractor mistake is confusing revenue with profit. A crew billing $40,000 a month sounds strong, but if fixed costs are $18,000 and variable costs average $14,000 a month, the business is netting $8,000 — and one bad month erases it. Break-even thinking forces you to ask whether each new job actually moves you above the floor or just spins the wheels.
Pair this with the overhead rate calculator and the markup calculator. Overhead tells you what your fixed costs really are per billable hour. Markup tells you whether your pricing produces a margin above that overhead. Break-even tells you how much volume you need at that pricing to survive. Together they're the financial backbone of a contracting business that grows instead of just stays busy.
Frequently asked about this tool
What counts as a fixed cost for a contractor?
Fixed costs are expenses you pay regardless of job volume — truck and equipment payments, insurance, office rent, software subscriptions, base salaries, loan payments, and phone/internet. Variable costs, by contrast, only exist because a specific job happens.
How do I find my average price per job?
Total your revenue over the last 3–6 months and divide by the number of jobs closed in that period. Use a period long enough to smooth out one-off large jobs, but short enough to reflect your current pricing.
Why is break-even different from profit?
Break-even is the zero point — where revenue exactly covers all costs. Profit is everything above break-even. A business can have strong revenue and still hover at break-even if fixed costs are high or pricing is too low.
Is anything I enter saved?
No. This calculator runs entirely in your browser. Your numbers are never sent to a server, stored, or associated with you in any way.
You can have the best pricing in town — but it means nothing if your phone isn't ringing.
High-margin quotes only put money in your pocket when homeowners call you in the first place. Elyptic Rise builds contractor websites and Google Maps setups that get you found first. Speak directly with Bryan, the owner.
More free calculators for your business
Contractor Markup Calculator
Enter your job cost and markup to instantly see selling price, gross profit, and the true profit margin most contractors confuse for markup.
Overhead Rate Calculator
Calculate your overhead burden rate and per-hour overhead so every estimate covers the indirect costs that quietly drain profit.
Job Cost Calculator
Add up labor, materials, subs, equipment, and overhead into one accurate total job cost — then apply profit for the price to quote.