Window Cleaning Break-Even Analysis: About $19K/Month

Fixed costs $3.3K/mo Base overhead

Contribution margin 71% After variable costs

Break-even revenue $4.6K/mo Cover overhead

Break-even timing Month 22 Model break-even

Break-even calculator

Test how monthly revenue, variable expenses, and fixed monthly costs work together to reach break-even.

Lean Base Full

Monthly revenue Revenue is the pool that pays direct costs and overhead. $ Low sales High sales Variable expenses These rise as cleaning volume goes up. $ Low direct High direct

Money available to cover fixed costs $22,500 $30,000 revenue - $7,500 variable expenses

Margin ratio

75%

Covers fixed costs

Yes

Fixed monthly costs These hit every month, even when sales are soft. $ Lean base Heavy load

Break-even chart Revenue Total costs

Which window cleaning expenses are fixed, variable, or tied to route volume?

Cost classification

Break-even is reliable only when each expense follows the right driver. Here’s the quick math: fixed overhead sets the monthly hurdle, while job labor, supplies, fuel, and route gaps decide how much each cleaning actually contributes.

Expense	Cost	Break-Even Treatment	Common Mistake
Office/Depot Rent ($1,500/month)	Fixed	Include in monthly overhead before calculating jobs needed to break even.	Spreading rent across too few routes and missing the real job target.
Utilities, Phone, Internet, Hosting, and Office Supplies ($650/month)	Fixed	Bundle as baseline admin overhead that stays steady in the monthly planning range.	Ignoring small recurring bills because each one looks harmless alone.
General Liability and Fixed Vehicle Insurance ($650/month)	Fixed	Treat as recurring coverage overhead that does not rise with each cleaning job.	Leaving insurance out of break-even and overstating early profit.
Technician Direct Labor and Payroll Taxes (15% of revenue in the first year)	Variable	Deduct from revenue before contribution margin; it moves with completed jobs.	Treating labor as fixed when overtime, rework, and slow routes cut margin.
Cleaning Supplies and Equipment Maintenance (5% of revenue in the first year)	Variable	Model as a job-linked expense that rises with service volume.	Using a flat monthly amount and missing wear from larger or tougher jobs.
Vehicle Operating Costs: Fuel, Wear, and Tear (6% of revenue in the first year)	Variable	Deduct per route volume because drive time and mileage rise with bookings.	Treating travel, route gaps, and return visits as harmless.
CRM and Scheduling Software Fees (3% of revenue in the first year)	Semi-variable	Model as usage-linked operating support that scales with booked work.	Calling software fixed when more bookings can raise platform or processing fees.
Customer Service / Dispatch Staffing ($40,000 salary; 0.5 FTE in the first year)	Semi-fixed	Add in steps as call volume, route density, and customer follow-up load increase.	Hiring too early, or too late, and letting missed calls reduce booked revenue.

How does break-even move from a lean launch to a fuller window cleaning route?

Scenario table

Lean spend lowers the monthly hurdle, but slower bookings can still squeeze cash. As staffing and marketing scale, fixed costs rise faster than margin gains, so break-even moves up and the cushion gets thinner.

Planning cases only; these are assumptions, not guarantees, and break-even shifts with booking pace and overhead.

Scenario	Monthly Revenue	Variable Costs	Fixed Costs	CM Ratio	Operating Profit	Break-Even Signal
Lean launch	$19k	$5.5k	$13.5k	71%	$0	Lower overhead keeps the hurdle light, but the booking pace stays fragile.
Base plan	$30.9k	$7.6k	$23.3k	75.5%	$0	Month 22 is the turn point; Year 1 and Year 2 EBITDA stay negative before Year 3 turns positive.
Full route build	$38.5k	$7.7k	$30.8k	80%	$0	Better margin helps, but higher staff and marketing push the break-even hurdle higher.

What pushes this window cleaning plan past break-even?

Stress test

This plan breaks first when bookings slip, travel costs rise, or overhead grows before repeat work does. Here’s the quick math: a 10% revenue miss leaves about a $19,000 monthly gap, and a 5-point margin drop or 10% overhead creep pushes break-even to roughly $205,000 or $209,000.

Stress Case	Changed Assumption	Break-Even Revenue	Revenue Gap	Risk Signal
Current plan	No change.	$190,000	$0 cushion	Base case is balanced, with no cushion.
Revenue shortfall	Revenue runs 10% below plan.	$190,000	$19,000 gap	Weak bookings quickly reopen the monthly cash gap.
Fixed-cost pressure	Fixed overhead rises 10%.	$209,000	$19,000 gap	Rent, admin, or insurance creep pushes break-even out.
Margin pressure	Variable expenses rise from 29% to 34% of revenue.	$205,000	$15,000 gap	Fuel spikes and extra return visits cut contribution.
Combined pressure	Fixed overhead rises 10% and variable expenses rise from 29% to 34% of revenue.	$225,000	$35,000 gap	Low route density and weak repeat work can break the plan fast.

What should a window cleaning founder verify before buying vans and locking in overhead?

Founder checklist

Don’t buy vans, add crew, or lock in software until the route math, pricing, and booking flow point to break-even. The model needs about $190K in monthly revenue potential, a 71% Year 1 contribution margin, and enough cash to survive to Month 28.

1Demand Proof$190K/mo

Verify the mix of monthly, quarterly, bi-weekly, and one-time jobs can reach this revenue level before full overhead lands.

2Fixed Load$12.3K/mo

Check that rent, utilities, insurance, admin, and base payroll fit this monthly load, because fixed costs set the floor you must clear.

3Route DensityBy route

Price travel time by route, not just by window count, so drive time and fuel do not eat the day’s margin.

4Contribution Margin71%

Hold off on added crew until contribution margin stays near this level, because direct labor, supplies, fuel, and software still leave enough to cover overhead.

5Launch Capex$130K

Before you spend on vans, equipment, setup, safety gear, website, and supplies, confirm CAC stays near the Year 1 target of $75.

6Cash CushionMonth 28

Keep enough cash to cover the $636K low point through Month 28, because payback takes 46 months and a slow start will tighten the runway fast.