TradingCalculatorTools

Break Even Price Calculator

Find the price a position must reach to cover entry costs, exit costs and any holding charges.

Last reviewed

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Free · No sign-up · Runs in your browser

Exiting at the price you entered is a loss. It has to be, because getting in cost something and getting out will cost something more. The break-even price is wherever those two costs are covered, and it is always beyond the entry.

This calculates it, including any financing or holding charge that accrues while the position is open. For leveraged positions held for weeks, that holding charge frequently moves the break-even further than the commissions do.

Your numbers

Results update as you type. Nothing is sent anywhere.

Result

Break-even price

42.58

Total costs
$20
Cost per unit
0.08
Move required
0.19%
Position cost
$10,625
Costs as a share of the position
0.19%

This tool is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not financial or investment advice, and past performance does not guarantee future results.

Holding costs - financing, funding rates, borrow fees - accumulate the longer a position stays open, so the break-even price moves against you over time.

On small positions the fixed part of the commission can be a large share of the required move. That is the main reason very small trades struggle to be profitable.

How to use the break even price calculator

  1. Enter the entry price and the quantity.
  2. Enter the fees paid on entry and the fees expected on exit.
  3. Add any financing or holding cost for the period you expect to hold.
  4. Choose long or short - the break-even moves in the opposite direction for each.

What people use this for

  • Knowing the exact price at which a position stops losing money.
  • Deciding whether a small target is worth taking after costs.
  • Seeing what financing costs do to a position held for weeks.
  • Setting a stop that is not accidentally inside the break-even.

Worked examples

Every figure below is produced by running this calculator against the example inputs, so the numbers always match the tool.

A short-term long position

250 units at $42.50, $10 in each direction, no holding cost.

Break-even price
42.58
Total costs
$20
Move required
0.19%

A leveraged position held for a month

Same position with $180 of financing over the holding period.

Break-even price
43.3
Move required
1.88%
Costs as a share of the position
1.88%

Costs scale differently from position size

A flat commission is a large percentage of a small position and a trivial one of a large position. Percentage-based fees behave the opposite way. Which structure suits you depends entirely on how large your typical position is.

The cost-as-a-percentage output makes that comparison directly, which is the useful way to evaluate a fee schedule rather than reading the headline rate.

Holding costs accumulate quietly

Financing on a leveraged position accrues daily whether the position moves or not. Over weeks it can exceed the commission by a wide margin, and it is charged regardless of the outcome.

Including it here turns break-even from a fixed price into a moving one - which is what it actually is on any financed position.

Why this matters for small targets

A strategy targeting a half-percent move on a position where costs are a fifth of a percent is giving away forty percent of the gross result before the trade starts.

Strategies with small targets need low costs to survive, and calculating the break-even is the fastest way to see whether that condition holds.

Methodology and assumptions

What this calculator does, and what it deliberately does not do.

  • Results are arithmetic on the numbers you enter. Nothing here predicts prices or connects to an exchange, broker or market data feed.
  • Nothing you type is transmitted or stored - the calculation runs entirely inside your browser.

This tool is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

Nothing on this website is a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security, currency, derivative or digital asset. No price is predicted and no return is promised or implied.

Trading and investing carry the risk of substantial loss, including the loss of your entire capital. Leveraged products can produce losses that exceed your deposit. Tax treatment depends on your jurisdiction and your circumstances.

Frequently asked questions

Is break-even the same as the entry price?

No. It is always beyond the entry - higher for a long, lower for a short - because costs have to be recovered before the position is neutral.

What counts as a holding cost?

Financing on margin, swap on forex, funding on perpetual futures, and borrow fees on shorts. Any charge that accrues for holding rather than for transacting.

Should my stop be inside the break-even?

A stop between the entry and the break-even means a small loss rather than a scratch. That is normal and expected - it just should not be a surprise.

Does this include tax?

No. Tax treatment depends on jurisdiction, account type and holding period, and is outside what this calculates.

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