Raise prices or reduce payment costs?
Compare realized prices after discounts and lost jobs with a separate, supported payment-cost change at unchanged volume.
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Illustrative example inputs
These starting values show how the math works. They are not industry averages, customer results or a quote.
| Input | Example value |
|---|---|
Baseline completed jobs in the period Comparable jobs with the same modeled economics. | 100 |
Current realized price per job Excludes sales tax and is already net of current discounts. | $1,000.00 |
Nonpayment variable cost per completed job Costs actually avoided when a job is lost. Do not put retained payroll or other fixed overhead here. | $650.00 |
Revenue paid by card Held constant in the repricing scenario. | 80% |
Variable card-processing percentage This percentage applies to the card-paid share. Other fixed payment costs stay inside existing profit. | 3.5% |
Baseline profit after existing costs Already includes baseline card fees and overhead. | $10,000.00 |
Increase from current realized price Before the proposed discount entered next. | 5% |
Discount on the increased price Simplified average discount applied to every retained job. | 2% |
Share of baseline jobs lost A sensitivity assumption, not a prediction of customer response. | 5% |
Additional repricing-scenario costs New costs not already in the per-job estimate, deducted once. | $0.00 |
Net payment-cost improvement at baseline volume A separate verified scenario after remaining and new fees. Negative means higher cost. This is not combined with repricing. | $1,800.00 |
Example results
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
Profit change from repricing after lost work | $1,067.86 |
Separate payment-cost improvement | $1,800.00 |
Repricing improvement minus payment-cost improvement Negative means repricing produces less improvement under these inputs. | -$732.14 |
Profit in the repricing scenario | $11,067.86 |
Calculation detail
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Realized price after the proposed discount | $1,029.00 |
| Modeled retained jobs | 95 |
| Baseline contribution per job | $322.00 |
| Repriced contribution per retained job | $350.19 |
| Baseline revenue | $100,000.00 |
| Repriced revenue after lost jobs | $97,755.00 |
| Contribution forgone on lost baseline jobs | $1,610.00 |
| Contribution gain on retained jobs | $2,677.86 |
| Profit in the separate payment-cost scenario | $11,800.00 |
| Repriced revenue change | -$2,245.00 |
Model assumptions
- Starting figures are fictional planning examples, not a quote, verified outcome or small-business margin benchmark.
- This single-job-type model holds service mix and nonpayment variable cost per completed job constant. Fractional retained jobs represent a period average, not a bookable fraction of a job.
- Only genuinely avoidable job costs decline with lost volume. Existing overhead and fixed payment charges remain inside baseline profit.
- Card share and percentage stay constant for the price-change calculation, so percentage-based card expense changes with realized revenue.
- The payment-cost alternative holds the baseline sales volume and price unchanged. Its entered improvement is net of remaining costs and must not include an untested customer-retention assumption.
- Reported profit already includes the existing processing expense. The scenario adds the supported expense difference once; it does not subtract the existing fee again.
- Enter remaining or proposed charges only after checking written terms. Blank unknowns are not zero; all fields must be completed before calculation.
Read alongside these results
- Negative differences remain visible. A negative profit denominator gives a signed mathematical ratio, not a share of positive profit. Zero denominators are unavailable.
- No retention rate, price acceptance or future sale is guaranteed. If the fee program changes customer behavior, model that separately before comparing or combining strategies.
Download this worked example (CSV). Use the interactive version to export your own inputs and results.
A 5% price increase does not mean 5% more profit. Discounts reduce what you collect. Any lost jobs also affect the result. The jobs you keep still cost money for materials, labor and payment processing. Before changing a repair menu or wrap package price, compare what’s left after those costs with a separately documented reduction in processing costs.
Start the first comparison with one reasonably consistent service. Mixing an oil change, engine replacement, and fleet wrap into one average hides too much. The SBA’s break-even explanation starts with price, variable cost, and fixed costs. It also notes the limits of a single-product model. The calculator follows that distinction instead of applying a percentage to total revenue and calling it savings.
Use with this guide
business dashboard
Continue with business dashboard.
Small Business Savings Audit
Continue with Small Business Savings Audit.
online payment toolkit
Continue with online payment toolkit.
How many lost repairs would erase a body shop's payment-program savings?
Check remaining costs and any genuinely lost contribution before judging a lower processing bill.
Check your own costs: calculate your effective processing rate or upload a merchant statement for analysis.
Write down what one completed job contributes
Consider a fictional month with 100 jobs at a realized price of $1,000 each. Nonpayment variable cost is $650 per job. Now, 80% of revenue comes by card, with a 3.5% variable processing rate. That works out to $28 per job in card fees, leaving $322 per completed job before remaining fixed costs. For the month, that’s $32,200 in contribution.
Count costs that really disappear when the job does. Materials bought just for that job may qualify. But a salaried technician’s pay may stay the same if five appointments get canceled. Keep retained payroll and other unchanged overhead out of avoidable costs. The business dashboard helps organize the underlying operating totals, but your actual records decide which costs belong in this calculation.
Sources for this section: U.S. Small Business Administration: break-even point and contribution margin
Apply discounts to the new price before counting the gain
Raise the $1,000 starting price by 5% to $1,050, then take the assumed 2% average discount off that higher price. You’ll realize $1,029, not $1,030. Percentage changes applied one after another multiply, so check the real discount base before adding a promotion, referral offer, or negotiated fleet allowance. For simplicity, the model applies the entered average discount to every retained job.
At the same card share and processing percentage, payment expense is $28.812 per retained job. Subtract that and the unchanged $650 variable cost from $1,029. That leaves $350.188 in contribution per job. The calculator carries unrounded figures through the math, then shows cents. That avoids a small rounding difference when you multiply the amount across a month.
Sources for this section: Stripe: credit-card payment processing fee components · U.S. Small Business Administration: break-even point and contribution margin
Account for the contribution from jobs you lose
Assume 5% of the original work disappears, leaving 95 jobs that produce $33,267.86 in contribution. That’s $1,067.86 more than the original $32,200, before extra fixed costs. If baseline profit was $10,000, after the old expenses, modeled profit becomes $11,067.86. Revenue still drops from $100,000 to $97,755, even as contribution improves.
The explanation is right there in two lines. Better pricing on retained jobs adds $2,677.86 in contribution. Losing five baseline jobs costs $1,610. Subtract that from the first amount. If repricing also adds $200 in monthly admin expense, subtract it once, leaving an $867.86 improvement. That lost-job assumption is a sensitivity input, not a forecast of customer behavior.
Sources for this section: U.S. Small Business Administration: break-even point and contribution margin
Compare a separate payment-cost scenario on its own terms
Suppose a written payment proposal supports an $1,800 monthly improvement after remaining and new charges, with original prices and 100-job volume unchanged. That separate scenario would take the same $10,000 baseline profit to $11,800. Before any added administrative expense, the repricing gain is $732.14 smaller. Neither result proves what customers will accept, and the tool doesn’t combine both strategies.
Use the Small Business Savings Audit to write down the full proposed cost before you enter its net improvement. If a payment-program change affects retention, deposits, or payment mix, model that before comparing outcomes. Check the online payment toolkit for the payment-page workflow and activation requirements. Then base the decision on observed quote acceptance and completed work. Review it again after implementation, with a date on the calendar. Don’t assume customers always stay or always leave.
Sources for this section: IRS: why businesses should keep records
Primary sources
BlueFinch last reviewed these sources on October 23, 2026. Check the linked sources for current requirements and product details.
- U.S. Small Business Administration: break-even point and contribution margin
- Stripe: credit-card payment processing fee components
- IRS: why businesses should keep records
Use this page for general business information. It is not legal, tax, or accounting advice.