// cac payback calculator
When a customer pays you back.
Enter what a customer costs to win and what they pay each month. See the month they earn it back, their lifetime profit and LTV to CAC, charted with and without churn.
CAC payback calculator
Each customer
Pays back their $150.00 in 4 months, and is worth 4.9x what they cost.
| Point | If they stay | With churn |
|---|---|---|
| Signed up | -$150.00 | -$150.00 |
| Month 1 | -$112.88 | -$112.88 |
| Month 2 | -$75.76 | -$77.62 |
| Month 3 | -$38.65 | -$44.12 |
| Month 4 | -$1.53 | -$12.30 |
| Month 5 | $35.59 | $17.93 |
| Month 6 | $72.71 | $46.66 |
| Month 7 | $109.82 | $73.94 |
| Month 8 | $146.94 | $99.86 |
| Month 9 | $184.06 | $124.49 |
| Month 10 | $221.18 | $147.88 |
| Month 11 | $258.29 | $170.10 |
| Month 12 | $295.41 | $191.21 |
| Month 13 | $332.53 | $211.27 |
| Month 14 | $369.65 | $230.33 |
| Month 15 | $406.76 | $248.43 |
| Month 16 | $443.88 | $265.62 |
| Month 17 | $481.00 | $281.96 |
| Month 18 | $518.12 | $297.48 |
| Month 19 | $555.23 | $312.22 |
| Month 20 | $592.35 | $326.23 |
| Month 21 | $629.47 | $339.54 |
| Month 22 | $666.59 | $352.18 |
| Month 23 | $703.70 | $364.19 |
| Month 24 | $740.82 | $375.59 |
| Month 25 | $777.94 | $386.43 |
| Month 26 | $815.06 | $396.73 |
| Month 27 | $852.18 | $406.51 |
| Month 28 | $889.29 | $415.80 |
| Month 29 | $926.41 | $424.63 |
| Month 30 | $963.53 | $433.01 |
| Month 31 | $1,000.65 | $440.98 |
| Month 32 | $1,037.76 | $448.55 |
| Month 33 | $1,074.88 | $455.74 |
| Month 34 | $1,112.00 | $462.57 |
| Month 35 | $1,149.12 | $469.06 |
| Month 36 | $1,186.23 | $475.22 |
Payback = CAC / monthly profit. With churn, each month counts only the customers still paying, so the line levels off at LTV − CAC. A ratio of 3 : 1 or better is the usual healthy line.
One price, steady churn. Upgrades, discounts and refunds are left out.
// the formulas
From −CAC to profit.
The worked examples use the calculator's defaults: $150 to win a customer who pays $49 a month, 80% gross margin and 5% monthly churn.
Monthly profit
(price − fee) × gross margin
$49 a month leaves $46.40 after 4.7% + $0.30; at 80% margin a customer earns you $37.12 a month.
Payback
CAC / monthly profit
$150 / $37.12 = 4 months. With 5% churn the average customer pays back in month 5.
LTV : CAC
(monthly profit / churn) / CAC
At 5% churn a customer is worth $742.35 of profit, 4.9 : 1 against what they cost. 3 : 1 is the usual healthy line.
On Pocketsflow, subscriptions are on every plan at 4.7% + $0.30 per payment with no monthly fee. See subscriptions or model churn with the subscription calculator.
// faq
Common questions.
How do I calculate CAC payback?
Divide what it costs to win a customer by the profit they bring each month. $150 / $37.12 a month = 4 months.
What is a good CAC payback period?
Under 12 months is a common target for subscriptions, and under 6 is strong. The shorter it is, the sooner the money you spent on growth comes back to spend again.
How do I calculate customer acquisition cost (CAC)?
Add up what you spent to win customers in a period (ads, sponsorships, affiliate commissions, free trials you paid for) and divide by the new paying customers it brought. $1,500 of ads that brought 10 customers is a $150 CAC.
Why include churn?
Because customers who leave stop paying you back. The line with churn counts only the customers still paying each month and levels off at lifetime profit minus CAC. At 15% churn the example is worth $247.45, 1.6 : 1: barely more than it costs.
What fee does Pocketsflow take on subscriptions?
4.7% + $0.30 per payment, card processing and tax handling included, and no monthly fee. Subscriptions and memberships are on every plan.
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