Forex Profit Calculator
Quickly compute forex profit with accurate formulas. See amortization schedules, growth projections, and side-by-side comparisons.
Forex Profit Calculator
Calculator
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Formula: Profit/Loss = (Entry − Exit or Exit − Entry) / Pip Size × Pip Value × Lot Size
Worked example — 70 pips gained | Profit: $700
Formula
Profit/Loss = (Entry − Exit or Exit − Entry) / Pip Size × Pip Value × Lot Size
For buy trades, subtract entry from exit to get the price difference. For sell trades, subtract exit from entry. Divide by pip size to get pips moved. Multiply pips by pip value per pip for your position size to get dollar profit or loss. A positive result means profit; negative means loss.
Worked Examples
Example 1: Buy EUR/USD Standard Lot
Problem:Buy 1 standard lot EUR/USD at an illustrative 1.0850 and close at 1.0920. Calculate profit.
Solution:Pips = (1.0920 - 1.0850) / 0.0001 = 70 pips Pip value = 0.0001 × 100,000 = $10 per pip Profit = 70 × $10 = $700
Result:70 pips gained | Profit: $700
Example 2: Sell GBP/USD with Loss
Problem:Sell 0.5 lots GBP/USD at an illustrative 1.2650 and close at 1.2700. Calculate loss.
Solution:Pips = (1.2650 - 1.2700) / 0.0001 = -50 pips (loss) Pip value = 0.0001 × 50,000 = $5 per pip Loss = 50 × $5 = $250
Result:-50 pips | Loss: $250
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate forex profit or loss?
Forex profit or loss is calculated by determining the pip difference between your entry and exit prices, then multiplying by the pip value for your position size. For a buy trade, subtract entry from exit; for a sell trade, subtract exit from entry. The pip value depends on your lot size and the currency pair. For USD-quoted pairs with a standard lot (100,000 units), one pip equals $10. So if you buy EUR/USD at 1.0850 and sell at 1.0920, that is 70 pips profit times $10 = $700. Remember to subtract spread costs for accurate net profit calculation.
What is the difference between realized and unrealized profit in forex?
Unrealized profit (or floating profit) is the current gain or loss on an open position that has not yet been closed. It fluctuates in real-time as the market price changes. Realized profit is the actual gain or loss locked in when you close a trade. Only realized profits and losses affect your account balance. For example, if you buy EUR/USD at 1.0850 and the current price is 1.0900, you have an unrealized profit of 50 pips. This becomes realized only when you close the trade. Many traders make the mistake of treating unrealized profits as guaranteed, leading to poor risk management decisions.
How do spreads affect my forex profit calculations?
Spreads reduce your effective profit on every trade because you buy at the ask price (higher) and sell at the bid price (lower). For a buy trade, your entry is at the ask price but your exit is at the bid price, so you immediately start with a negative pip count equal to the spread. For EUR/USD with a 1.5-pip spread, a 50-pip gross profit becomes 48.5 pips net profit. For scalpers targeting 5-10 pips, a 2-pip spread consumes 20-40% of their target, making spread costs critical. Always factor spreads into your profit calculations, especially for high-frequency strategies.
Can I lose more money than I have in my forex account?
With most regulated brokers, negative balance protection prevents you from losing more than your deposited amount. However, this was not always the case and some offshore brokers still allow negative balances. During extreme market events like the 2015 Swiss Franc crisis, many traders experienced account balances going deeply negative because stop losses could not execute during the rapid price movement. Leverage amplifies both profits and losses — with 1:100 leverage, a 1% adverse move wipes out your entire margin. Always use stop losses, appropriate leverage, and trade with regulated brokers that offer negative balance protection.
How do I convert forex profits from pip values to my account currency?
For currency pairs quoted in your account currency (e.g., EUR/USD for a USD account), the pip value is already in your currency — $10 per pip for a standard lot. For pairs not quoted in your account currency (e.g., EUR/GBP for a USD account), you need to convert: first calculate the pip value in the quote currency, then multiply by the exchange rate of the quote currency against your account currency. For example, EUR/GBP pip value in GBP = 0.0001 × 100,000 = 10 GBP per pip. If GBP/USD = 1.2650, then pip value in USD = 10 × 1.2650 = $12.65 per pip. Most brokers handle this conversion automatically.
Why is a pip 0.01 on USD/JPY but 0.0001 on EUR/USD?
Pip size follows the quoting convention of the pair. Most pairs are quoted to four decimal places, so a pip is 0.0001. The yen trades in the high double or triple digits, so yen pairs are quoted to two decimals and a pip becomes 0.01. Most brokers then show one extra decimal — the fifth on EUR/USD, the third on USD/JPY — known as a pipette or point, worth one tenth of a pip. Forex Profit Calculator works in whole pips, so 7.3 pipettes is 0.73 of a pip.
How does pip value work when the dollar is the base currency, as in USD/CHF or USD/CAD?
When the dollar is the base rather than the quote, the pip is denominated in the other currency and its dollar worth floats with the exchange rate. One standard lot of USD/CHF moves 0.0001 times 100,000, or 10 Swiss francs per pip; at a rate of 0.8800 that converts to roughly 11.36 dollars. The calculator divides by the entry price to make that conversion, which is why pip value on USD-base pairs is not the flat 10 dollars you see on EUR/USD or GBP/USD.
How do I turn a pip result into a percentage return?
Two different percentages get confused here. The instrument's move is the price change over the entry: 70 pips from 1.0850 is 0.0070 divided by 1.0850, or 0.645 percent, and that is the figure shown alongside the result. The return on committed capital is far larger because the position is leveraged — the same 700 dollars measured against the 1,085 dollars of margin needed at 1:100 is 64.5 percent. Quote the first when comparing instruments and the second when judging account performance.
How is profit on gold (XAU/USD) different from a currency pair?
Gold trades in troy ounces rather than currency units, so a standard XAU/USD lot is 100 ounces instead of 100,000 units. Its pip is 0.01, which makes one pip worth 100 times 0.01, or 1 dollar per lot — a tenth of what a standard forex lot delivers. The offset is that gold travels in much larger price increments: a 10 dollar swing in the metal is 1,000 pips, or 1,000 dollars per lot. Compare instruments by dollars per unit of movement, never by raw pip counts.
Do I need to subtract commission and swap from the profit shown here?
Yes. This figure is the gross move between the two prices you entered. On an ECN account a per-lot commission is charged on entry and again on exit, and any position carried past the broker's daily cut-off is debited or credited swap based on the interest rate differential between the two currencies. Entering the actual bid and ask you were filled at takes care of the spread, but commission and swap still have to come off before the number matches what settles in the account.
References
Reviewed for accuracy by Daniel Agrici, Founder & Lead Developer · Editorial policy
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