{
  "slug": "dental-office-break-even",
  "title": "Dental/Vet Office Break-Even Calculator",
  "heading": "Practice Break-Even Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/dental-office-break-even",
  "summary": "Monthly production needed to cover fixed and variable costs.",
  "description": "Break-even analysis answers the single most important cash-flow question a practice owner has: how much do we need to produce this month just to cover the bills before anyone, including the owner, takes home profit. This calculator takes total fixed monthly costs (rent, base staff wages, insurance, loan payments) and your average variable cost rate as a percentage of production (lab fees, supplies, commission-based pay) to compute the break-even revenue point and the margin of safety at your current production level.",
  "formula": "Break-even revenue = fixed costs ÷ (1 − variable cost rate); margin of safety = (actual revenue − break-even) ÷ actual revenue.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=dental-office-break-even",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "fixedCosts",
      "label": "Total monthly fixed costs",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 62000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "variableCostPct",
      "label": "Variable costs as % of production (lab, supplies, commission)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 18,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 80
    },
    {
      "id": "currentRevenue",
      "label": "Current monthly production/revenue",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 92000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "breakEvenRevenue",
      "label": "Monthly break-even revenue",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "marginOfSafety",
      "label": "Margin of safety at current revenue",
      "format": "percent",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "dailyBreakEven",
      "label": "Daily break-even (≈21.7 working days/mo)",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Total monthly fixed costs: 62000 $",
      "Variable costs as % of production (lab, supplies, commission): 18 %",
      "Current monthly production/revenue: 92000 $"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Monthly break-even revenue: $75,610",
      "Margin of safety at current revenue: 17.8%",
      "Daily break-even (≈21.7 working days/mo): $3,484"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter total monthly fixed costs ($).",
      "Enter variable costs as % of production (lab, supplies, commission) (%).",
      "Enter current monthly production/revenue ($).",
      "Read your monthly break-even revenue on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "fixedCosts": 37000,
        "variableCostPct": 11,
        "currentRevenue": 55000
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "fixedCosts": 62000,
        "variableCostPct": 18,
        "currentRevenue": 92000
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "fixedCosts": 99000,
        "variableCostPct": 29,
        "currentRevenue": 147000
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "What counts as a fixed cost versus a variable cost here?",
      "a": "Fixed costs don't change with production volume in the short term: rent, loan payments, base staff wages, insurance premiums, and software subscriptions. Variable costs scale with production: lab fees, dental/medical supplies used per procedure, and any commission-based portion of doctor or hygienist pay."
    },
    {
      "q": "What margin of safety should a practice aim for?",
      "a": "20-30% margin of safety is a comfortable cushion, meaning revenue could drop 20-30% before the practice stops covering its costs. Under 10% margin of safety means a slow month, an unexpected repair, or a doctor's medical leave could put the practice into a cash crunch quickly."
    },
    {
      "q": "How does owner compensation fit into break-even?",
      "a": "If the owner takes a market-rate salary as compensation for clinical or management work, include it in fixed costs like any other salary. If instead the owner takes profit distributions after break-even, leave it out of fixed costs and treat it as what's left over — just be consistent about which model you're using."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/practice-overhead-ratio",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/imaging-equipment-lease-vs-buy",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/vet-inventory-turnover"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Dental/Vet Office Break-Even Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/dental-office-break-even)"
}