Startup Break Even Calculator
Calculate months to break even from MRR growth rate, CAC, and monthly fixed costs. Enter values for instant results with step-by-step formulas.
Reviewed by Daniel Agrici, Founder & Lead Developer
Formula
Break Even Month = when MRR x (1 + growth)^n x (1 - churn)^n >= Fixed Costs + (CAC x New Customers)
The calculator projects MRR forward each month applying the growth rate and subtracting churn losses. Break even occurs when monthly recurring revenue exceeds total monthly costs including fixed expenses and customer acquisition spending.
Worked Examples
Example 1: SaaS Startup with 15% Monthly Growth
Problem:A SaaS startup has $50K monthly fixed costs, $10K current MRR, 15% monthly MRR growth, $200 CAC, 50 new customers/month, $50 ARPU, and 5% monthly churn. When do they break even?
Solution:Monthly acquisition cost: $200 x 50 = $10,000\nTotal monthly costs: $50,000 + $10,000 = $60,000\nMRR growth net of churn: 15% - 5% = ~10% net monthly growth\nMonth 1 MRR: $10,000 x 1.10 = $11,000\nMonth 12 MRR: $10,000 x 1.10^12 = $31,384\nMonth 18 MRR: $10,000 x 1.10^18 = $55,599\nBreak even when MRR exceeds $60,000
Result:Break even at approximately month 19 | Total cash burned: ~$450K before profitability
Example 2: E-commerce Startup with High CAC
Problem:An e-commerce startup has $30K fixed costs, $20K current MRR, 10% growth, $500 CAC, 30 new customers/month, and 3% monthly churn.
Solution:Monthly acquisition cost: $500 x 30 = $15,000\nTotal monthly costs: $30,000 + $15,000 = $45,000\nNet monthly growth: 10% - 3% = ~7%\nMonth 1 MRR: $20,000 x 1.07 = $21,400\nNeed MRR to reach $45,000\n$20,000 x 1.07^n = $45,000\nn = ln(2.25) / ln(1.07) = ~12 months
Result:Break even at approximately month 12 | LTV/CAC ratio: 3.3x (healthy)
Frequently Asked Questions
What does break even mean for a startup and why is it important?
Break even for a startup is the point where monthly revenue equals monthly expenses, meaning the company no longer needs external funding to sustain operations. This is a critical milestone because it fundamentally changes the power dynamics between founders and investors. Before break even, startups are dependent on fundraising and must accept whatever terms investors offer. After break even, founders can choose to grow profitably or raise capital from a position of strength, typically at much better valuations. The timeline to break even also determines how much total capital the startup needs to raise, directly impacting founder dilution. Most venture-backed SaaS startups take 18-36 months to reach break even.
How do you calculate the monthly burn rate for a startup?
Monthly burn rate is calculated by subtracting total monthly revenue from total monthly expenses. Gross burn rate counts only expenses without considering revenue, while net burn rate accounts for incoming revenue. Total monthly expenses include fixed costs like salaries, rent, software subscriptions, and insurance, plus variable costs like customer acquisition spending, hosting costs that scale with users, and transaction fees. For example, if a startup spends $80,000 monthly and earns $30,000 in MRR, the net burn rate is $50,000 per month. Tracking burn rate monthly is essential because it determines your runway, which is how many months of cash remain before the company runs out of money.
What is a good MRR growth rate for reaching break even quickly?
A good MRR growth rate depends on the startup stage, but generally 10-20% month-over-month growth is considered strong for early-stage SaaS companies. At 15% monthly growth, MRR doubles approximately every 5 months. Y Combinator considers 7% weekly growth (roughly 30% monthly) as excellent. However, growth rates naturally decelerate as the base gets larger. A company growing at 20% monthly from $10K MRR will likely slow to 10-12% by the time it reaches $100K MRR. The key insight is that even small improvements in growth rate dramatically accelerate the path to break even. Going from 10% to 15% monthly growth can reduce break-even timeline by 6-12 months depending on cost structure.
How does customer acquisition cost affect the break-even timeline?
Customer acquisition cost directly increases monthly expenses, extending the time to break even. High CAC means the company spends more upfront to acquire each customer, creating a deeper cash trough before revenue catches up. The critical metric is the CAC payback period, which measures how many months it takes for a customer to generate enough revenue to cover their acquisition cost. If CAC is $500 and monthly ARPU is $50, the payback period is 10 months. Ideally, CAC payback should be under 12 months for SaaS businesses. Reducing CAC through organic marketing, referral programs, or improving conversion rates can dramatically accelerate break even without requiring faster revenue growth.
References
Reviewed by Daniel Agrici, Founder & Lead Developer · Editorial policy