Calculate the minimum profit target needed to cover all trading costs including commissions, spreads, slippage, and SEC fees. Determine your true breakeven price before entering any trade.
The Trade Breakeven Calculator reveals the hidden costs of trading by calculating the exact price you need to exit at to break even. Unlike simple profit calculations that only consider entry and exit prices, this tool accounts for commissions (both entry and exit), bid-ask spreads, slippage, and SEC fees. Many new traders don't realize that costs are round-trip—if your broker charges $0.005 per share, you pay it twice (entry and exit). This calculator instantly shows your true breakeven price and cost percentage, helping you set realistic profit targets and avoid the trap of 'winning' trades that actually lose money after fees. Use it before every trade to ensure your expected profit exceeds your total costs.
Trading costs are round-trip: you pay commissions and fees when buying and selling. If you buy 100 shares at $50 with $1 commissions and 2¢ spread/slippage, your total entry cost is $5,003 ($5,000 + $1 commission + $2 spread). To break even, you need to sell at $50.06 to recover entry costs plus exit costs ($1 commission + $2 spread on the sell side). Small traders often overlook this, causing 'profitable' trades to lose money.
Use 'Per Trade' for brokers like Robinhood ($0) or Fidelity ($0). Use 'Per Share' for Interactive Brokers ($0.005/share) or TradeStation ($0.006/share). Use 'Percentage' for crypto exchanges (typically 0.1-0.5% per trade). Check your broker's fee schedule—some combine models (e.g., $1 minimum per trade OR $0.005/share, whichever is greater).
Open your broker's order entry and check the bid-ask spread (difference between bid and ask prices). For liquid stocks (SPY, AAPL), spreads are 1¢. For small-caps, spreads can be 5-10¢. Slippage depends on order type: limit orders have zero slippage but may not fill; market orders on liquid stocks slip 1-2¢; market orders on illiquid stocks or during volatile periods can slip 10¢+.
Yes. For forex, use 'Percentage' model with your broker's spread (typically 0.1-0.5% or 1-5 pips depending on pair). For crypto, use 'Percentage' model with exchange fees (Coinbase: 0.5%, Binance: 0.1%, Kraken: 0.16-0.26%). Disable SEC fee checkbox as it only applies to US equities. Crypto spreads can be significant—on low-volume altcoins, spreads can be 1-2% of the price.
Day traders pay round-trip costs on every trade (often multiple times per day), while swing traders pay costs once per week or month. If your costs are 0.1% round-trip and you make 100 trades/year, you pay 10% in costs annually. Swing traders making 20 trades/year pay 2%. Day traders must profit 0.1%+ per trade just to break even, requiring wider targets or higher win rates.
Use this calculator to compare. Example: Trading 200 shares at $50 with 1¢ spread. Robinhood ($0 commission but may have 2¢ spread due to payment for order flow) costs $6 round-trip ($4 spread + $2 slippage). Interactive Brokers ($0.005/share + 1¢ spread) costs $4 round-trip ($2 commission + $2 spread). For active traders, per-share pricing is often cheaper despite the commission.
The SEC fee is 0.00278% charged on the sale proceeds (not purchase) of US equities to fund the Securities and Exchange Commission. It's tiny on small trades ($0.28 on a $10,000 sale) but adds up for active traders. Options and ETFs also have regulatory fees. This calculator includes it by default for US stock trades; disable it for options, forex, or crypto.
This calculator doesn't include margin interest (it varies by broker and holding period). For overnight holds on margin, calculate separately: (Margin used × Annual interest rate × Days held) ÷ 365. Example: $10,000 margin at 8% annual rate for 3 days = $6.58 interest. Add this to round-trip costs manually. Day traders who close positions before market close avoid margin interest entirely.
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