Free startup planning tool
Startup Cost Calculator
Add your own one-time and fixed monthly costs, include an optional contingency reserve, and compare how much cash the plan would require before customer payments for 3, 6, or 12 months.
Make every startup-cost assumption visible.
To estimate startup costs, add one-time launch costs to fixed monthly operating costs for the number of months you want to fund. Include only the contingency reserve you choose. For break-even sales, divide fixed monthly costs by price minus variable cost per sale, then round up.
The calculator uses your entries only. It does not add industry averages, predict sales or customer payments, or recommend how much funding to raise.
Separate launch costs, fixed costs, and per-sale costs.
Every output comes from the entries shown in the form. The downloadable report uses the same result; there is no second hidden calculation.
List one-time costs and a reserve
Enter costs paid before or around launch, then add any contingency reserve you choose to hold.
List fixed monthly costs
Enter operating costs that repeat each month even when no sale happens.
Compare capital periods
Review the one-time total plus 3, 6, or 12 months of fixed monthly costs under a no-customer-payments planning assumption.
Check optional break-even sales
Enter price and variable cost per sale to estimate how many whole sales would cover fixed monthly costs or also recover one-time costs over 12 months. The contingency reserve is not treated as a cost to recover.
A $9,900 six-month cash target, shown step by step.
Illustrative example, not a benchmark or forecast. A plan has $3,000 in launch costs, a user-chosen $900 contingency reserve, and $1,000 in fixed monthly costs. Six months requires $9,900: $3,900 + ($1,000 × 6).
At a $100 price and $40 variable cost, each sale contributes $60. Seventeen sales cover $1,000 of monthly fixed costs. Twenty-one sales cover those fixed costs and recover the $3,000 in one-time costs over 12 months; the unspent $900 reserve is not treated as a cost to recover. These are planning assumptions, not predicted sales.
Answers to common startup-cost questions.
How do I calculate startup costs?
Foundable's Startup Cost Calculator adds user-entered one-time costs, fixed monthly operating costs, and an optional contingency reserve to compare the cash required before customer payments for 3, 6, or 12 months. Optional break-even math uses the entered price minus variable cost per sale. It supplies no industry averages or funding recommendation.
What should a startup cost calculator include?
A startup cost calculator should separate one-time launch costs, fixed monthly operating costs, an explicit contingency reserve, and costs caused by each sale. It can then compare capital needs across a stated period and estimate break-even sales from price minus variable cost per sale.
How are the 3, 6, and 12-month estimates calculated?
For each period, add the one-time total to the fixed monthly total multiplied by the number of months. The estimate assumes no customer payments arrive during that period and includes only the values entered.
Does Foundable choose a contingency amount for me?
No. The contingency reserve is an optional dollar amount entered by the user. Foundable does not apply a hidden percentage or claim that one reserve is appropriate for every business.
How does the break-even estimate work?
Contribution per sale equals price minus variable cost per sale. Monthly sales to cover fixed costs equal the fixed monthly total divided by contribution per sale, rounded up. A separate planning view also spreads one-time costs over 12 months without treating the contingency reserve as a cost to recover.
Verify the inputs before committing money.
The U.S. Small Business Administration publishes guidance for identifying startup costs and calculating a break-even point. Use primary quotes and professional advice where the decision requires it.