Return Needed to Break Even
If fees take 1.5%, the remaining 98.5% has to climb back to 100%. One divided by 0.985 is 1.523, so you need 1.523% — not 1.5%.
Your numbers
Return to break even
1.523%
Fee
150,000
Total
10,152,284
Formula
Return to break even = (1 ÷ (1 − Round-trip fee ÷ 100) − 1) × 100
Trading often means clearing this hurdle every time. A 0.5% round trip taken twenty times a year hands over 10%.
What to enter
| Input | Default | Accepted range |
|---|---|---|
| Round-trip fee (%)Buying and selling fees added together. | 1.5 | 0 ~ 50 |
| InvestedEverything you put in; include fees or the return comes out flattering. | 10,000,000 | 0 and up |
Step by step
Quick reference table
Results when only Round-trip fee (%) changes and everything else stays put.
| Round-trip fee (%) | Return to break even (%) | Fee | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.75 | 0.756 | 75,000 | 10,075,567 |
| 1.13 | 1.143 | 113,000 | 10,114,291 |
| 1.5 | 1.523 | 150,000 | 10,152,284 |
| 2.25 | 2.302 | 225,000 | 10,230,179 |
| 3 | 3.093 | 300,000 | 10,309,278 |
What each result means
| Result | At default values |
|---|---|
| Return to break even (%)The rise needed just to get back to even after fees. | 1.523 |
| FeeThe fee charged, as money. | 150,000 |
| TotalEvery item added together — check whether tax or tip is inside it. | 10,152,284 |
Common mistakes
Trading often means clearing this hurdle every time. A 0.5% round trip taken twenty times a year hands over 10%.
Glossary
- Round-trip fee
- Buying and selling fees added together.
- Invested
- Everything you put in; include fees or the return comes out flattering.
- Return to break even
- The rise needed just to get back to even after fees.
- Fee
- The fee charged, as money.
- Total
- Every item added together — check whether tax or tip is inside it.
Frequently asked questions
Q. How is Return Needed to Break Even calculated?
Return to break even = (1 ÷ (1 − Round-trip fee ÷ 100) − 1) × 100 — If fees take 1.5%, the remaining 98.5% has to climb back to 100%. One divided by 0.985 is 1.523, so you need 1.523% — not 1.5%.
Q. Can you walk through an example?
With Round-trip fee 1.5%, Invested 10,000,000, the answer is Return to break even 1.523%.
Q. What do I need to enter?
Enter Round-trip fee, Invested. The result recalculates as you type, and an empty box counts as zero.
Q. How much does the answer move if I change a number?
Changing only Round-trip fee (%) moves the answer to Round-trip fee (%) 0.75 → Return to break even (%) 0.756 and Round-trip fee (%) 3 → Return to break even (%) 3.093. The table below lays out five steps.
Q. How are the numbers rounded?
Money is shown to the nearest whole unit, percentages to one decimal place and everything else to two. What you see is rounded; the calculation itself carries the unrounded value forward.
Q. Anything to watch out for?
Trading often means clearing this hurdle every time. A 0.5% round trip taken twenty times a year hands over 10%.
Related calculators
Tax rates and interest conventions differ by country and product — check your contract for real transactions.