Payback
CAC Payback Calculator
How many months to recover acquisition cost from gross margin — the metric that decides if you can scale.
— CategoryMarketing & Growth
Your Metrics
Use blended averages across all acquisition channels.
Total cost to acquire one new customer
$
Monthly subscription or average monthly spend
$
Typically 70–90% for SaaS
%
Payback Period = CAC ÷ (ARPU × Gross Margin %)
Benchmark: <6mo (excellent) · <12mo (good) · >18mo (critical)
Payback Status: Good
Payback under 12 months. A healthy range for most SaaS and subscription businesses.
Payback Period
6.7
months
$74.25 gross profit / month per customer
12-Month LTV
$891
24-Month LTV
$1,782
ROI at 12mo
78%
Cumulative Profit per Customer
Starts at -$500 (your CAC) and recovers month by month