Act on the result
Compare the break-even and target-profit project counts with realistic delivery capacity for the same period.
Educational only: Business decision support, not accounting, tax or legal advice.
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Update policy: Reviewed when formulas or official dependencies change.
Scope: Market-neutral small-business planning using your own assumptions.
What this planner helps you decide
Best for
Project businesses testing how many average projects per period cover fixed cost or reach target profit.
Outputs
Contribution per project and whole-project thresholds for break-even and target profit.
Start here
Use average project revenue and variable cost from the same period before comparing the whole-project thresholds with capacity.
Use a different tool when: Do not use this to compare bid cost, win probability, capacity and expected contribution; use Bid / No-bid Economics Planner for that decision. Use this tool to find completion, billing or contribution threshold for a project.
Quote & capacity
Project Break-even: contribution per project and whole-project thresholds for break-even and target profit.
Contribution per project and whole-project thresholds for break-even and target profit.
Amounts use the same currency as your inputs. No currency conversion is performed.
Project Break-even
Find the whole-project volume required to cover period fixed costs or reach a target profit from average project revenue and variable cost.
Your numbers stay in this browser
Enter fixed project-business costs for one consistent planning period. Use one consistent ex-tax basis.
Enter average revenue earned from one completed project. Use one consistent ex-tax basis.
Enter average variable cost caused by one completed project. Use one consistent ex-tax basis.
Enter the profit amount above fixed-cost break-even to test. Use one consistent ex-tax basis.
Decision result
Use the cost and recovery rows to identify the component changing the exact reconciliation.
PDF and CSV exports stay on this device. Clean page links contain no inputs.
- Contribution per project
- 2,000.00
- Break-even projects
- 5
- Projects for target profit
- 7
Scenario comparison
Each row names the assumption axis changed from the baseline.
ScenarioResultDifference
Entered scenario5.00Baseline
Lower Average project revenue7.002.00
Higher Average project revenue4.00-1.00
Save these results, change an input, then compare the updated figures with this baseline.
The baseline is temporary in this tab and is not added to shared scenario links or generated reports.
Calculation details
View calculation detailsView the formulas and inputs used for these results.
Contribution per project
Contribution per project
average project revenue − average project variable cost2,000.00Result2,000.00
Uses only the entered market-neutral commercial records and assumptions. Raw engine precision is retained until display.
Project Break-even Planner formulas →Inputs used by these formula steps
- Contribution per projectFixed Cost Per Period Ex Tax
- 10,000
- Contribution per projectAverage Project Revenue Ex Tax
- 5,000
- Contribution per projectAverage Project Variable Cost Ex Tax
- 3,000
- Contribution per projectTarget Profit Ex Tax
- 4,000
Break-even projects
Break-even projects
ceiling(fixed period cost ÷ contribution per project)5 unitsResult5
Uses only the entered market-neutral commercial records and assumptions. Raw engine precision is retained until display.
Project Break-even Planner formulas →Inputs used by these formula steps
- Break-even projectsFixed Cost Per Period Ex Tax
- 10,000
- Break-even projectsAverage Project Revenue Ex Tax
- 5,000
- Break-even projectsAverage Project Variable Cost Ex Tax
- 3,000
- Break-even projectsTarget Profit Ex Tax
- 4,000
Projects for target profit
Projects for target profit
ceiling((fixed period cost + target profit) ÷ contribution per project)7 unitsResult7
Uses only the entered market-neutral commercial records and assumptions. Raw engine precision is retained until display.
Project Break-even Planner formulas →Inputs used by these formula steps
- Projects for target profitFixed Cost Per Period Ex Tax
- 10,000
- Projects for target profitAverage Project Revenue Ex Tax
- 5,000
- Projects for target profitAverage Project Variable Cost Ex Tax
- 3,000
- Projects for target profitTarget Profit Ex Tax
- 4,000
Inputs used
- Fixed cost per period
- 10,000
- Average project revenue
- 5,000
- Average project variable cost
- 3,000
- Target period profit
- 4,000
Open this calculator with preset values
This calculator supports documented, shareable scenario URLs. Compatible assistants and applications can construct links using the parameters below.
Scenario links contain only allowlisted numeric and closed-choice inputs shown in the URL; Margin101 excludes free text and identifying fields. Anyone you share the URL with can read those numbers, so do not include private or identifying data.
| Parameter | Meaning | Unit | Allowed values | Presence | Default |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| averageProjectRevenueExTax | Enter average revenue earned from one completed project. Use one consistent ex-tax basis. | currency units/project, ex tax | 0 to 10000000 | Required | 5000 |
| averageProjectVariableCostExTax | Enter average variable cost caused by one completed project. Use one consistent ex-tax basis. | currency units/project, ex tax | 0 to 10000000 | Required | 3000 |
| fixedCostPerPeriodExTax | Enter fixed project-business costs for one consistent planning period. Use one consistent ex-tax basis. | currency units/planning period, ex tax | 0 to 10000000 | Required | 10000 |
| targetProfitExTax | Enter the profit amount above fixed-cost break-even to test. Use one consistent ex-tax basis. | currency units/planning period, ex tax | 0 to 10000000 | Required | 4000 |
Project Break-even: contribution per project and whole-project thresholds for break-even and target profit.
The whole-project thresholds are period volume requirements, not forecasts of demand, completion or collection.
Formula summary
- Primary formula
- ceiling(fixed period cost ÷ contribution per project).
Data used here
- The estimate uses your inputs and the general business formula documented in the methodology.
Decision checks
Stress-test the decision
Retest lower average project revenue, higher variable cost and a higher fixed-cost pool.
When this estimate can be misleading
- Use one consistent ex-tax commercial basis.
- Hours, utilisation, costs, rates and recovery targets are user inputs rather than defaults.
- This is educational business decision support, not accounting, tax, legal or financial advice.
- The whole-project thresholds are period volume requirements, not forecasts of demand, completion or collection.
Educational estimate, not advice. See all assumptions & limitations →
Related reading
Guides to interpret the decision and its assumptions.
- Job Costing: Estimate, Track and Review Margin
Compare estimated and actual labour, materials, subcontractors and overhead, then choose the next pricing or delivery action.
Read guide
Frequently asked questions
How do I find completion, billing or contribution threshold for a project?
Compare the break-even and target-profit project counts with realistic delivery capacity for the same period.
Which planning assumptions should I stress-test?
Compare a plausible alternative scenario and verify the decision-critical assumption that changes the plan most.