Cost Driver & Profit Sensitivity
Pick how a cost behaves, then change its driver — orders, hours, units — and see the estimated new cost. Not every cost scales with revenue.
Simulate this cost
$
%
Formulas & assumptions
- Fixed: new cost = current cost (within the relevant range)
- Variable: new cost = current cost × (1 + activity change %)
- Mixed: new cost = base + (current cost − base) ÷ current activity × new activity
- Step: cost per step × ⌈new activity ÷ capacity per step⌉
- Upgrade payback (years) = Upfront cost ÷ (Annual savings − Extra annual running cost)
- All results are scenarios, not predictions.
What to check next
- Not sure how a cost behaves? Classify it first in Cost Detective.
- Use several months of real bills and activity to estimate rates.
- For a revenue drop across the whole business, use Margin of Safety & Sales Shock.
Want to understand this using your real business data?
SME Finance Helper can help you turn financial records into clearer reporting, cash-flow visibility, and actionable business insights.
Discuss Your Business NumbersResults are estimates based only on the values entered and are not a substitute for reviewing your business's actual records or professional advice. Example data is illustrative. Nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere.