Cash break-even
The whole-ticket count needed to cover fixed cash costs, per-attendee costs, and ticket fees.
Free interactive tool
Event Break-Even Calculator
Enter a planned ticket price to find how many paid tickets cover cash costs, Host time, and fees—and whether break-even fits your service capacity.
Test your event break-even
Start with a planned ticket price, then compare the tickets needed with the experience you can serve.
Two useful thresholds
Separate cash survival from a repeatable event.
Cash break-even answers whether ticket revenue covers event expenses. Repeatable break-even also gives the Host's work a visible target.
Repeatable break-even
The whole-ticket count after adding a visible target for preparation, delivery, and follow-up time.
Sell-through needed
Repeatable break-even tickets divided by the experience's real service capacity.
Planned result
Projected revenue less ticket fees, attendee costs, fixed costs, and the Host-time target.
The calculation
Break-even depends on contribution per ticket.
Net contribution per ticket equals ticket price minus the percentage fee, flat fee, and per-attendee cost. Cash break-even divides fixed cash costs by that contribution. Repeatable break-even adds the Host-time target to fixed costs. Both ticket counts round up because a fraction of a ticket cannot be sold.
Break-even tickets = fixed target ÷ (ticket price − percentage fee − flat ticket fee − variable cost per attendee)
This adapts the U.S. Small Business Administration's break-even formula, which defines break-even units as fixed costs divided by price minus variable cost per unit. Because real ticket charges can combine percentage and flat fees, this calculator deducts both before finding contribution.
A break-even model is an estimate, not a guaranteed accounting outcome. The SBA also recommends making room for costs you cannot predict. Use the scenario table to see how the plan behaves below full capacity rather than assuming every seat sells.
If break-even exceeds capacity, change the model.
Do not solve an impossible plan by selling beyond what the experience can serve. Test a higher price, lower fixed cost, lower per-guest cost, different venue, shorter format, or a deliberately smaller pilot.
Need to solve for price instead?Frequently asked questions
Event break-even questions
What is the event break-even formula?
Break-even tickets equal fixed costs divided by net contribution per ticket, rounded up to a whole ticket. Net contribution is ticket price minus percentage fees, flat ticket fees, and the variable cost created by one attendee.
Should Host time be included in event break-even?
Include preparation, setup, delivery, cleanup, admin, and follow-up when you want the format to be repeatable. The calculator separates cash break-even from repeatable break-even so you can see the effect of treating Host time as a real target.
What if contribution per ticket is zero or negative?
Selling more tickets cannot cover fixed costs when each ticket adds no positive contribution. Raise the ticket price, reduce per-attendee costs, reduce fees, or redesign what is included before relying on higher attendance.
Does event break-even include taxes, discounts, refunds, or no-shows?
No. This is a planning estimate based on the values entered. Add taxes you absorb, expected discounts, refund exposure, complimentary places, no-shows, and any missing costs to your operating plan before making a final decision.
Turn the viable plan into an event page.
Publish the price, capacity, promise, agenda, and registration details guests need to decide.