CRNA Locum Tenens Staffing Break-Even: Month 18 Revenue Target

Fixed costs $18.0K/mo Month 1 base

Contribution margin 80.5% After variable costs

Break-even revenue $22.4K/mo Monthly target

Break-even timing Month 18 Model break-even

Break-even calculator

Test whether monthly revenue covers variable expenses and the fixed cost base.

Lean Base Full

Monthly revenue Revenue is the cash inflow that has to cover direct costs and overhead. $ Slow month Busy month Variable expenses These are the direct costs that move with placements and billable volume. $ Low direct cost High direct cost

Money available to cover fixed costs $36,500 $93,333 revenue - $56,833 variable expenses

Margin ratio

39%

Covers fixed costs

$31,500 short

Fixed monthly costs This is the monthly overhead contribution margin must cover. $ Lean overhead Heavy overhead

Break-even chart Revenue Total costs

Which expenses are fixed, and which move with sales in a nurse anesthetist locum staffing agency?

Cost classification

Break-even is Month 18, so classification matters. Treat stable monthly overhead as fixed, revenue-linked fees as variable, and staffing or platform load as semi-fixed or semi-variable to avoid overstating margin too early.

Expense	Cost	Break-Even Treatment	Common Mistake
Corporate Office Lease	Fixed	Use $6,500 per month through the planning range.	Spreading rent across each placement and understating monthly break-even.
Legal and Regulatory Compliance	Fixed	Use $3,000 per month as recurring overhead.	Treating compliance as optional until sales scale.
Professional Liability Insurance	Fixed	Use $2,500 per month before contribution margin.	Putting all insurance into variable placement expense.
Software Subscriptions and CRM	Fixed	Use $1,200 per month for baseline operating tools.	Linking core software fully to order volume.
Recruiter and Executive Wages	Semi-fixed	Model salaries in hiring steps as full-time equivalent headcount rises.	Assuming wages rise smoothly with each placement.
Provider Credentialing and Background Verification	Variable	Apply 8.5% of revenue in the first year, falling to 6.5% by the fifth year.	Booking credentialing as fixed admin work.
Payment Gateway and Merchant Fees	Variable	Apply 3.0% of revenue in the first year, falling to 2.6% by the fifth year.	Ignoring merchant fees when calculating contribution margin.
Cloud Infrastructure and API Matching Costs	Semi-variable	Keep a base platform load, then scale usage from 2.0% of revenue in the first year to 1.2% by the fifth year.	Treating matching activity like a flat software bill.

How does break-even shift from a lean launch to a base case and a fuller CRNA pipeline?

Scenario table

Break-even moves as active contracts, repeat orders, and bill-rate spread improve. The lean case still carries most of the overhead, while the fuller pipeline spreads fixed cost across more placements and a stronger specialist mix.

Planning assumptions only. Real break-even will move with contract timing, credentialing speed, and buyer mix.

Scenario	Monthly Revenue	Variable Costs	Fixed Costs	CM Ratio	Operating Profit	Break-Even Signal
Lean launch	$93k	$18k	$106.5k	80.6%	-$31.5k	Still below break-even; the gap stays wide unless volume ramps faster.
Base case	$176k	$32k	$139.4k	81.8%	$4.6k	Near break-even, so a small lift in spread or repeat demand can flip profit positive.
Full pipeline	$461k	$66k	$268k	85.7%	$127k	Comfortably past break-even, with room to absorb slower placements or mix shifts.

What breaks the break-even plan for a nurse anesthetist staffing agency?

Stress test

At $176,000 a month, an 81.8% contribution margin, and $139,000 of fixed overhead, the plan only clears about $4,600. A 10% revenue miss, a 10% fixed-cost bump, or a 5-point margin drop can wipe that buffer fast.

Stress Case	Changed Assumption	Break-Even Revenue	Revenue Gap	Risk Signal
Current plan	No change in revenue, margin, or fixed overhead.	$169,900	$4,600 cushion	Small buffer; one miss can erase it.
Revenue shortfall	Monthly revenue falls 10% from the base case.	$169,900	$9,600 gap	Canceled assignments or slower fill rates can turn the month negative.
Fixed-cost pressure	Fixed overhead rises 10% from the base case.	$186,900	$9,300 gap	Extra recruiting or office spend widens the hole.
Margin pressure	Contribution margin falls 5 points to 76.8%.	$181,100	$4,200 gap	Pay-rate hikes or slower client payment cut the spread.
Combined pressure	Revenue falls 10%, fixed overhead rises 10%, and margin drops to 76.8%.	$199,100	$31,500 gap	Missed fills and higher costs push break-even out of reach.

What should the founder verify before locking in the office lease, hiring, and platform build?

Founder checklist

Before you lock in fixed spend, prove that buyers will sign and CRNAs will show up. The model still shows a Month 18 cash low of $203,000, so weak fill rates can push break-even out fast.

1Signed buyers$250K

Verify signed hospital, surgical center, and clinic demand before spending the Year 1 buyer marketing budget, because buyer CAC is $2,500 and paid leads with no contracts do not reach break-even.

2CRNA bench$120K

Confirm enough generalist and specialist CRNAs before the Year 1 seller budget hits, since seller CAC is $600 and the agency cannot fill contracts without a live provider pool.

3Unit spread15% + $150

Check that the fixed commission and 15% variable commission clear credentialing, malpractice, payment, and cloud costs on each placement, or every filled shift can still lose money.

4Fixed load$68K/mo

Make sure monthly overhead can carry the lease, compliance, insurance, software, marketing, and core wages, and do not lock the $6,500 lease until first-year volume is real.

5Core bench5 FTE

Verify recruiting, sales, engineering, and credentialing capacity can handle the opening load, because the Year 1 team is small and the model only adds an account manager in Month 13.

6Cash floor$305K + $203K

Fund launch capex and reserve cash together, since the build needs $305,000 up front and the model bottoms near $203,000 in Month 18 before EBITDA turns positive in Year 2.