Probate Assistance Service Break-Even Analysis: $53K/Month

Fixed costs $7.95K/mo Base overhead

Contribution margin 77% After case costs

Break-even revenue $10.3K/mo Revenue floor

Break-even timing Month 8 Model breakeven

Break-even calculator

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

Lean Base Full

Monthly revenue Revenue sets the pool that can cover variable and fixed costs each month. $ Low sales High sales Variable expenses These are the direct costs that rise as case volume or service work goes up. $ Low costs High costs

Money available to cover fixed costs $35,000 $50,000 revenue - $15,000 variable expenses

Margin ratio

70%

Covers fixed costs

$3,000 short

Fixed monthly costs This is the monthly cost base that contribution margin has to cover. $ Lean setup Heavier setup

Break-even chart Revenue Total costs

Which probate service expenses are fixed, and which move with sales?

Cost classification

Break-even gets shaky when revenue-linked expenses are buried in overhead. In the first operating year, direct software, filing, referral, and portal charges can reduce contribution before fixed rent, insurance, and payroll are covered.

Expense	Cost	Break-Even Treatment	Common Mistake
Office Rent	Fixed	Include $4,500 per month in monthly overhead from Month 1 through Month 60.	Treating rent as optional after the lease is signed.
Professional Liability Insurance	Fixed	Include $850 per month as required overhead coverage.	Excluding risk coverage to make break-even look lower.
Lead Probate Attorney and Staff Payroll	Semi-fixed	Model payroll as capacity steps, starting with $145,000 per year for the lead attorney plus staffed roles.	Hiring ahead of case demand and locking in unused capacity.
Case Management Software Subscriptions	Variable	Reduce contribution margin by 4.5% of revenue in the first operating year.	Treating usage-based case tools as fixed only.
Legal Research and Filing Direct Costs	Variable	Deduct 5.5% of revenue in the first operating year because the work tracks case handling.	Pricing services without direct filing and research work.
Referral Partner Commissions	Variable	Deduct 10.0% of revenue in the first operating year for referred cases.	Counting customer acquisition spend but ignoring referral commissions.
Client Communication and Portal Hosting	Semi-variable	Use 3.0% of revenue in the first operating year to reflect secure client access that rises with load.	Leaving client portal use out of margin math.
Marketing Tools and Subscriptions	Semi-fixed	Include $350 per month as baseline overhead separate from the $45,000 first-year marketing budget.	Mixing tool subscriptions with campaign spend.

How does break-even change from launch to staffed base to full growth in probate support?

Scenario table

Break-even moves with labor load, referral fees, and marketing spend. The launch case is slightly below break-even, the staffed base case has a clear cushion, and the mature case scales best if intake and referrals keep filling the pipeline.

These figures are planning assumptions, not guarantees.

Scenario	Monthly Revenue	Variable Costs	Fixed Costs	CM Ratio	Operating Profit	Break-Even Signal
Launch case	$50.3k	$11.6k	$40.6k	77%	($1.9k)	Needs about $52.7k/month to break even, so launch is a narrow miss.
Staffed base case	$104.9k	$22.0k	$50.2k	79%	$32.7k	Break-even is about $63.5k/month, so the base case has a real cushion.
Mature growth case	$417.3k	$62.6k	$103.3k	85%	$251.4k	Break-even is about $121.5k/month, so mature scale looks healthy if flow holds.

What breaks the break-even plan for a probate assistance service?

Stress test

At the base mix, the plan sits on a $527,000 monthly break-even line against $406,000 of fixed costs and 23% variable expenses. A 10% revenue dip, 10% overhead jump, or 5-point margin hit all move the line up fast.

Stress Case	Changed Assumption	Break-Even Revenue	Revenue Gap	Risk Signal
Current plan	No change.	$527,000	$0 gap	There is little room for any slip.
Revenue shortfall	Revenue falls 10% while costs stay flat.	$527,000	$41,000 gap	Slower referrals and CAC above $450 can tip it negative.
Fixed-cost increase	Fixed costs rise 10% with revenue unchanged.	$580,000	$53,000 gap	Rent, payroll, or overhead creep opens a fast cash hole.
Margin pressure	Variable expenses rise 5 points to 28%.	$564,000	$37,000 gap	Higher contractor hours and longer intake cycles squeeze margin.
Combined pressure	Revenue falls 10%, fixed costs rise 10%, and variable expenses reach 28%.	$632,000	$105,000 gap	When all three move, the model loses its cushion fast.

Is the probate assistance service ready for the Year 1 office, hiring, and marketing commitment?

Founder checklist

Only commit if referral flow, intake, and case mix can support Year 1 economics. The model needs about $1,005 in revenue per active customer-month, a $450 CAC cap, and enough cash to carry the Month 8 break-even dip.

1Referral Flow$1,005/active mo

Verify enough referred cases close at that revenue level before hiring past the Year 1 team, because weak flow breaks the whole plan.

2CAC Cap$450 CAC

Test intake scripts and partner quality now, since Year 1 CAC is already $450 and higher acquisition cost squeezes payback.

3Case Mix45/30/25

Keep new cases near 45% Full Administration, 30% Consultation Services, and 25% Document Preparation, or hours and revenue per case will drift.

4Margin Check77% CM

Check that direct costs stay near 23% of revenue, so contribution margin stays around 77% and can support overhead.

5Office Load$7.95K/mo

Keep recurring non-payroll overhead near $7,950 a month, with $4,500 rent as the biggest line, and treat the $75.5K launch build as one-time spend.

6Cash Buffer$767K cash

Hold the $767K minimum cash cushion, because break-even lands in Month 8 and Year 1 EBITDA is still negative at -$77K.