Break-Even Point Formula & Analysis for Your Business

Sometimes determining whether a cost is fixed or variable is more complicated. This analysis will help you easily prepare an estimate and visual to include in your business plan. We’ll do the math and all you will need is an idea of the following information. This means that you’ll need to sell 150 burgers over the course of the month to break even. Between insurance costs, salaries, property taxes, and leasing, the fixed quarterly costs are $120,000.

On another piece of paper sketch the scales that you want to use given the data, then use this plan on the chart. Our cash discount program passes the cost of acceptance, in most cases 3.99%, back to customers who choose to pay with a credit card. Integrate our services with yours to solidify your place as a trusted advisor for your commercial banking customers. Find your break-even point by using this break-even analysis template, customizable to your business. When making changes to the business, there are various scenarios and what-ifs on the table that complicate decisions about which scenario to go with. BEP will help business leaders reduce decision-making to a series of yes or no questions.

Why is the Contribution Margin Important in Break-Even Analysis?

Costs are fixed for a set level of production or consumption and become variable after this production level is exceeded. It can be an excellent tool to use when you’re starting up a new business, as it helps you to decide whether the idea is viable. Plus, it provides you with information you can use when designing your pricing strategy. In addition, it’s a good idea to do a break-even analysis when you’re creating a new product, particularly if it’s particularly cost-intensive. Where the sales revenue crosses the total costs line is the breakeven point. Breakeven analysis is a tool used to determine when a business will be able to cover all its expenses and begin to make a profit.

This can be converted into units by calculating the contribution margin (unit sale price less variable costs). Dividing the fixed costs by the contribution margin will provide how many units are needed to break even. Variable costs are the costs that are directly related to the level of production or number of units sold in the market.

How to interpret break-even analysis

The formula takes into account both fixed and variable costs relative to unit price and profit. Fixed costs are those that remain the same no matter how much product or service is sold. Examples of fixed costs include facility rent or mortgage, equipment costs, salaries, interest paid on capital, property taxes and insurance premiums.

• The denominator of the equation, price minus variable costs, is called the contribution margin.
• The following three independent changes would decrease the breakeven point.
• If you notice that you’re struggling to top your BEP, it might be time to do a value-chain analysis to itemize and eliminate unnecessary costs.
• In short, all costs that must be paid are paid, and there is neither profit nor loss.[1][2] The break-even analysis was developed by Karl Bücher and Johann Friedrich Schär.
• For example, if something is paid for on a quarterly basis, but does not change with production you would divide that cost by four in order to estimate the monthly amount of that cost.
• The lower the breakeven point, the better, since it takes relatively fewer units of sales to cover all the fixed and variable costs.

Fixed costs are expenses that remain the same, regardless of how many sales you make. These are the expenses you pay to run your business, such as rent and insurance. Also review variable costs to see if they can be eliminated, since doing so increases margins and reduces the breakeven point. Break-even analysis assumes that the fixed and variable costs remain constant over time. Costs may change due to factors such as inflation, changes in technology, or changes in market conditions.

How to Calculate Break Even Point in Units

A sales mix must be considered when calculating the breakeven point for companies that sell two or more products. The breakeven point is a relative number; it does not have much meaning on its own. It must be compared to another breakeven number, such as the expected or budgeted number of units to break even, an industry average, or the breakeven point for comparable companies. If the breakeven point is higher than a business’s capacity or ability to fulfill, the operation of the business is likely doomed to fail. When you decrease your variable costs per unit, it takes fewer units to break even.

When total costs match total revenues during a period of time, the company hasn’t yet made a profit, but it also hasn’t lost money at this point. The break-even point is your total fixed costs divided by the difference between the unit price and variable costs per unit. Keep in mind that fixed costs are the overall costs, and the sales price and variable costs are just per unit. A reduction in variable costs would lower ABC’s breakeven point, making it easier for it to reach profitability.

Superimposing these goals onto a specific timeline tells you exactly what to request from your sales team. The BEP is simply the point at which revenue from sales covers all expenses. Sell more than that, What is Breakeven Point and the company’s gross profits will begin to soar. For example, if the economy is in a recession, your sales might drop. If sales drop, then you may risk not selling enough to meet your breakeven point.

• Our cash discount program passes the cost of acceptance, in most cases 3.99%, back to customers who choose to pay with a credit card.
• You would need to make $12,000 in sales to hit your break-even point.
• Businesses can even develop cost management strategies to improve efficiencies.
• It is also helpful to note that the sales price per unit minus variable cost per unit is the contribution margin per unit.