All business decision tools
How quickly does acquisition pay back?
Calculate fully loaded acquisition cost and contribution-based payback.
Example scenario
Editable demonstration inputs, not verified industry benchmarks. Enable JavaScript to calculate your own scenario.
- Monthly sales & marketing cost
- $50,000
- New customers per month
- 25
- Monthly revenue per customer
- $1,000
- Gross margin
- 40 %
CAC payback period
Example result only, not a forecast or promise.
- Customer acquisition cost
- $2,000
- Monthly gross profit / customer
- $400
- 12-month gross profit / customer
- $4,800
What to do with this result
Reconcile acquisition spend and gross profit for the same customer cohort, including onboarding costs and sales ramp time.
Know what is inside the model.
Planning model, not personalized financial advice. Your inputs remain in your browser.
Calculation method
CAC = acquisition cost / new customers. Payback months = CAC / monthly gross profit per customer.
Assumptions and limitations
- Match acquisition costs to the customer cohort and sales-cycle lag.
- Gross margin is used as a contribution proxy; onboarding cash costs are excluded.