Fill in your fixed expenses on the left — results appear instantly with Auto Calculate on.
The core formula is simple:
Example: Rent $2,000 + Salaries $5,000 + Insurance $400 = $7,400 monthly overhead. Annual = $88,800. Knowing your total overhead also helps you set a clear savings goal once your fixed expenses are covered.
| Business Type | Typical Fixed Costs |
|---|---|
| Retail Store | Rent, staff salaries, utilities base, security |
| Restaurant | Lease, kitchen equipment leases, salaried staff, licenses |
| Freelancer | Software subs, internet, phone, studio rent |
| SaaS Company | Server costs, salaries, office lease, legal retainers |
| Manufacturing | Factory rent, machinery leases, fixed salaries, insurance |
| Personal Budget | Mortgage/rent, car payment, insurance, subscriptions |
Knowing the difference helps you plan smarter:
A lower share of fixed costs generally means more flexibility in slow periods. A higher share means more profit potential when sales grow — this is called operating leverage. Keep in mind that a high attrition rate can quietly raise fixed salary costs as you replace staff more often.
Break-even is the minimum revenue needed to cover all your fixed costs with no profit and no loss.
Example: Fixed costs $5,000/mo, variable costs are 40% of revenue. CM Ratio = 60%. Break-even = $5,000 ÷ 0.60 = $8,333/mo in revenue needed. Use a revenue calculator to project whether your expected sales clear that threshold.
See how your total monthly overhead converts to weekly and annual amounts.
| Monthly Fixed Cost | Weekly Equiv. | Annual Total | Daily Cost |
|---|
Weekly = Monthly ÷ 4.333. Annual = Monthly × 12. Daily = Monthly ÷ 30.4. Currency shown as $.
Find the minimum revenue needed to cover fixed costs at different margin levels.
| Fixed Costs/Mo | 20% CM | 30% CM | 40% CM | 50% CM | 60% CM | 70% CM |
|---|
Break-Even = Fixed Costs ÷ Contribution Margin Ratio. Higher margin = lower revenue needed to break even.
How unit fixed cost drops as you produce more — the principle of economies of scale.
| Monthly Fixed Cost | 100 units | 250 units | 500 units | 1,000 units | 2,500 units | 5,000 units |
|---|
Fixed Cost per Unit = Total Fixed Cost ÷ Units Produced. More units means lower fixed cost per item.
How a monthly overhead change adds up over a full year.
| Monthly Fixed Cost | Annual Total | If +10%/yr | If +20%/yr | If −10%/yr | 5-Year Total |
|---|
Fixed cost creep is real — a 10% annual increase in overhead adds significantly to your 5-year cost base.
Benchmarks for how much of revenue typically goes to fixed overhead, by industry type.
| Industry | Fixed Cost % of Revenue | Main Fixed Cost Drivers | Operating Leverage | Break-Even Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 📦 Manufacturing | 30–50% | Factory rent, machinery leases, salaried staff | High | High |
| 🏪 Retail | 20–35% | Store lease, base staff wages, utilities base | Medium | Medium |
| 🍽️ Restaurant | 25–40% | Lease, kitchen equipment, salaried kitchen staff | Medium–High | High |
| 💻 SaaS / Software | 40–70% | R&D salaries, infrastructure, office lease | Very High | Low (scalable revenue) |
| 🏥 Healthcare | 35–55% | Facility costs, physician salaries, equipment | High | Medium |
| 🚚 Logistics | 20–30% | Vehicle leases, depot rent, driver salaries | Medium | Medium |
| 🏗️ Construction | 15–25% | Equipment leases, office rent, admin staff | Low–Medium | Low |
| 🎓 Education | 50–70% | Campus/facility, faculty salaries, IT systems | High | High |
| 💼 Consulting / Services | 30–50% | Office rent, staff salaries, software tools | Medium–High | Medium |
| 🛒 E-commerce | 15–25% | Platform fees, warehouse rent, base team | Low–Medium | Low |
These are typical ranges, not guarantees. Actual ratios vary by size, location, and business model. Use as a starting benchmark only.