Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Recurring customer LTV
$6,670
One-time customer LTV
$276
Expected customer lifespan (yrs)
4.0
Annual recurring revenue per customer
$1,690
LTV advantage of recurring
$6,394
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How to use this
- 1Enter average ticket (recurring visit) ($).
- 2Enter visits per year (recurring).
- 3Enter annual churn rate (%).
- 4Enter customer acquisition cost ($).
- 5Enter one-time job average ticket ($).
- 6Enter one-time job referral rate (%).
- 7Read your recurring customer ltv on the right — it updates as you type.
- 8Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Home service owners chase one-time jobs because the cash lands immediately, but recurring customers usually win on total value once you account for retention and lower acquisition cost per visit. This calculator projects lifetime value for both models using visit frequency, average ticket, churn rate, and acquisition cost so you can see which one actually earns more per customer relationship.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Average ticket (recurring visit): 65 $
- Visits per year (recurring): 26
- Annual churn rate: 25 %
- Customer acquisition cost: 90 $
- One-time job average ticket: 350 $
- One-time job referral rate: 15 %
Results
- Recurring customer LTV: $6,670
- One-time customer LTV: $276
- Expected customer lifespan (yrs): 4
- Annual recurring revenue per customer: $1,690
- LTV advantage of recurring: $6,394
What each field means
Inputs
- Average ticket (recurring visit) ($)
- The average ticket (recurring visit) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 65 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Visits per year (recurring)
- The visits per year (recurring) used in the calculation. Starts at 26 so you have a working example on load.
- Annual churn rate (%)
- The annual churn rate used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 25 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–90 %.
- Customer acquisition cost ($)
- The customer acquisition cost used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 90 $ so you have a working example on load.
- One-time job average ticket ($)
- The one-time job average ticket used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 350 $ so you have a working example on load.
- One-time job referral rate (%)
- The one-time job referral rate used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 15 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–100 %.
Results
- Recurring customer LTV
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- One-time customer LTV
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Expected customer lifespan (yrs)
- Returned as a decimal number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Annual recurring revenue per customer
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- LTV advantage of recurring
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
What churn rate is normal for recurring home services?
Lawn care and pest control typically see 15-30% annual churn, cleaning services run 20-35%, and pool service tends to be stickier at 10-20% because switching providers mid-season is disruptive. Lower churn compounds dramatically: dropping from 30% to 15% roughly doubles expected customer lifespan and therefore LTV.
Why does a $350 one-time job sometimes lose to a $65 recurring visit?
Because the recurring visit repeats. At 26 visits a year and even modest 4-year expected retention (25% churn), that customer generates over $6,700 in revenue against a single acquisition cost, while the one-time job caps out near its ticket price plus whatever referrals it generates. Recurring revenue amortizes acquisition cost across many transactions.
How should this change marketing budget allocation?
If recurring LTV is 3-5x one-time LTV, you can justify paying 3-5x more to acquire a recurring customer through paid ads or door hangers, since the payback period is what matters, not the per-job margin. Track actual churn quarterly; a business that assumes 20% churn but actually sees 35% is over-investing in acquisition relative to real LTV.
Accuracy and 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.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Recurring vs One-Time Customer LTV Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/recurring-vs-onetime-ltv
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/recurring-vs-onetime-ltv" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Recurring vs One-Time Customer LTV Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Recurring vs One-Time Customer LTV Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/recurring-vs-onetime-ltv) (2026).