Customer payback calculator
How many months of the entered contribution recover one customer's acquisition cost?
A teaching example in the units shown below.
These authored example inputs illustrate the calculation. Replace them with your own documented amounts, periods and rates; they are not measured industry averages or available offers.
Include the acquisition spending assigned to one new customer.
Revenue minus your defined serving costs. Keep the same cost basis throughout; allocated fixed overhead changes the measure.
Your entered scenario
Starting exampleCalculation updated using the entered assumptions.
Formula and interpretation
Payback months = acquisition cost per customer ÷ monthly contribution per customer
Whole recovery months = the positive payback period rounded up
Contribution means revenue less your stated serving-cost allocation. It is not revenue alone.
A nonpositive contribution provides no recovery from operating contribution. Zero acquisition cost needs no recovery when contribution is positive.
Definitions and sources
These references support the definitions and calculation boundaries. The starting numerical example is authored for arithmetic; each available business preset has its own evidence and limitations.
- Customer acquisition payback — Stripe. Supports acquisition cost relative to monthly customer contribution; no benchmark or retention assumption is imported. Accessed September 5, 2026.
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