Commercial Finance
Calculate margins, markup, break-even points, contractor rates, UK VAT, US sales tax, and cash runway.
Commercial finance calculators answer the pricing and tax questions that come up when you run a business: what to charge, how much you need to sell, and what a UK company owes in Corporation Tax. Each one shows the formula it used with your own figures, so you can check the working or copy it into a spreadsheet.
The Markup Calculator turns a cost and a markup into a selling price and shows the margin that price gives you. It also works backwards from the margin you want. A 30% margin needs a 42.86% markup, and a 50% margin needs 100%. Prices are shown with and without 20% UK VAT, because VAT goes on after the markup and never counts as profit.
The Break-Even Calculator divides your fixed costs by the contribution each sale makes. With £5,000 of fixed costs, a £25 price and a £10 variable cost, each sale contributes £15, so you need 334 units, or £8,333.33 of sales, before you make any profit. It also shows your margin of safety and how many more sales reach a profit target. If you sell lots of different products, you can work in sales value instead of units.
The Corporation Tax Calculator is for UK limited companies. It applies the 19% small profits rate up to £50,000, the 25% main rate above £250,000 and marginal relief in between, and reduces both limits for associated companies and for accounting periods shorter than 12 months. On £100,000 of profit over a full year with no associated companies, the bill is £22,750, an effective rate of 22.75%.
Markup and break-even work the same way in pounds or dollars, so US owners can use them too, with sales tax left out of prices just as UK owners leave out VAT. Founders, sole traders pricing a product, and finance staff checking a quote all use them. Every calculation runs in your browser and nothing you type is uploaded. The results are estimates to plan with, so check tax decisions with an accountant.
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Markup Calculator
Work out a selling price from your cost and markup, find the markup you need for a target margin, and see prices with and without 20% VAT.
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Break-Even Calculator
Find how many units you need to sell to cover your costs, the sales revenue that takes, and how many more sales reach the profit you want.
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Corporation Tax Calculator
Work out UK Corporation Tax at 19% or 25% with marginal relief, adjusted for associated companies and short accounting periods, with the working shown.
Common questions about commercial finance
What is the difference between margin and markup?
Margin is profit as a percentage of the selling price, and markup is profit as a percentage of cost. An item that costs £40 and sells for £60 makes £20 profit, which is a 50% markup but a 33.33% margin. The Markup Calculator shows both figures for any price you enter.
How do I calculate a break-even point?
Divide your fixed costs by the contribution per unit, which is the selling price minus the variable cost of one unit. Fixed costs of £5,000 with a £25 price and a £10 variable cost give 5,000 ÷ 15 = 333.3, so you need to sell 334 units. The Break-Even Calculator also gives the break-even sales value.
What markup do I need for a 30% margin?
You need a markup of about 42.86%. Divide the margin by 100 minus the margin, then multiply by 100: 30 ÷ 70 × 100 = 42.86%. So a product that costs £70 must sell for £100 to make a 30% margin. A 50% margin needs a 100% markup.
What is the UK Corporation Tax rate for 2026?
The main rate is 25% on profits over £250,000 and the small profits rate is 19% on profits of £50,000 or less, with marginal relief in between. These rates have applied to accounting periods from 1 April 2023. The Corporation Tax Calculator reduces both limits for associated companies and short accounting periods.
Should prices include VAT when I work out markup or break-even?
No. Use prices and costs before VAT if you are VAT registered, because the VAT you charge is paid to HMRC and is not income for the business. Work out the selling price first, then add 20% VAT on top for standard-rated goods. US sellers should leave sales tax out in the same way.