Disability Fitness Center Break-Even: About $95K/Month

Fixed costs $78.7K/mo Year 1 run-rate

Contribution margin 93% After variable costs

Break-even revenue $84.6K/mo Monthly target

Break-even timing Month 33 Base-case month

Break-even calculator

Use this calculator to test monthly revenue, variable expenses, and fixed costs against break-even.

Lean Base Full

Monthly revenue Revenue sets the pool that pays variable and fixed costs. $ Low volume Busy month Variable expenses Use costs that rise with sales, like processing fees and member supplies. $ Low costs High costs

Money available to cover fixed costs $46,154 $49,100 revenue - $2,946 variable expenses

Margin ratio

94%

Covers fixed costs

$47,129 short

Fixed monthly costs Use the monthly base costs that break-even must cover. $ Lean overhead Heavy overhead

Break-even chart Revenue Total costs

Which costs stay fixed and which move with sales in an accessible fitness center?

Cost classification

Break-even gets unreliable fast if fixed staff, rent, or insurance are treated like per-member costs. Use true variable costs only for contribution margin, then cover the committed monthly base.

Expense	Cost	Break-Even Treatment	Common Mistake
Facility Lease	Fixed	Spread the $22,000 monthly lease across the break-even model.	Dividing rent by members and treating it as sales-driven.
Equipment Lease & Maintenance	Fixed	Use $8,500/month unless the contract has usage-based terms.	Moving it with visits when the lease is already committed.
Specialized Liability Insurance	Fixed	Hold at $4,500/month for the planning range.	Reducing insurance when member count is below plan.
Utilities	Semi-variable	Start with the $3,500/month source case, then separate base load from usage.	Modeling utilities as fully fixed despite higher traffic and equipment use.
Gym Management Software	Fixed	Use the $1,500 monthly software charge in fixed overhead.	Linking the whole platform fee to each new member.
Professional Services	Semi-fixed	Use $1,200/month, then step it up only when legal or accounting workload changes.	Ignoring step-ups tied to audits, contracts, or compliance reviews.
Salaried Staff	Semi-fixed	Model payroll by full-time equivalent step, not by session.	Treating trainer payroll as fully variable when salaried staff are committed.
Member Supplies & Amenities	Variable	Apply 4.0% of revenue in the first year, then the stated annual percentages.	Putting towels, amenities, and member supplies into fixed overhead.

How does break-even shift from a lean launch to a full-service disability fitness center?

Scenario table

Here’s the quick math: break-even climbs as the center adds payroll, lease, insurance, software, and marketing. The mix also shifts from 70% Basic in Year 1 toward 60% All-Inclusive in Year 5, so revenue per member changes even before traffic does.

Planning assumptions only; actual member count is not provided, so this is a revenue-based break-even view, not a guarantee.

Scenario	Monthly Revenue	Variable Costs	Fixed Costs	CM Ratio	Operating Profit	Break-Even Signal
Lean launch model	$954,000	$67,000	$887,000	93.0%	$0	Thinnest cushion; a small miss drops below break-even.
Base operating model	$1,134,000	$68,000	$1,066,000	94.0%	$0	Planning case; costs are covered, but room is still tight.
Full-service operating model	$1,300,000	$71,000	$1,229,000	94.5%	$0	Strongest cushion, but only if staffing and marketing stay controlled.

What breaks the break-even plan if sign-ups lag or fixed costs creep up?

Stress test

Year 1 needs about $954K in revenue to cover roughly $887K of fixed costs at a 93% contribution margin. A 10% revenue miss, a 10% cost bump, or both can turn the plan into a six-figure gap fast.

Stress Case	Changed Assumption	Break-Even Revenue	Revenue Gap	Risk Signal
Current plan	No change.	$954K	$0 gap	No cushion if sign-ups slip.
Revenue shortfall	Sign-ups land 10% below plan.	$954K	$89K gap	A small miss wipes out most of the buffer.
Fixed-cost increase	Fixed costs rise 10% to $976K.	$1.049M	$95K gap	Lease, staffing, or insurance creep moves breakeven up.
Margin pressure	Payment processing and member supplies take a bigger share of revenue.	$986K	$32K gap	Fee and supply creep cuts the cushion fast.
Combined pressure	Revenue falls to $858K, margin slips to 90%, and fixed costs rise to $976K.	$1.084M	$204K gap	Late sign-ups and overhead creep can create a cash crunch.

What should you verify before signing the lease and buying equipment for a disability fitness center?

Founder checklist

Check pre-sales, fixed rent, payroll, and cash against the model before you commit. The business does not reach break-even until Month 33, so the site and staffing plan have to survive a long ramp.

1Pre-sales$99-$320

Test pre-sales on the four offers before you sign the lease, because the mix has to prove demand long before Month 33 break-even.

2Lease Load$88.7K/mo

Confirm the lease fits inside the full monthly fixed load of rent, equipment lease, insurance, utilities, software, services, payroll, and marketing.

3Contribution93.0% CM

Verify that supplies at 4.0% and payment fees at 3.0% stay near 7.0% of sales, because that leaves room for the staff and lease overhead.

4Staff Ramp$450K/yr

Map the 7.0 FTE plan before opening, because Year 1 payroll is $450,000 and hiring ahead of onboarding capacity will raise cash burn fast.

5Cash Cushion$3.0M

Hold enough cash to cover the $3.029 million trough, because minimum cash lands in Month 60 and the model still shows negative EBITDA in every year.

6Launch Flow$730K

Stage the full build-out across strength, cardio, accessibility, locker rooms, POS, signage, and furniture, and confirm access, parking, transfer space, and member support flow before opening.