Break-Even Sell Price Calculator
Find the share price you must sell at just to get your money back after buying costs, selling fees and capital-gains tax — or to net a target profit.
How it works
Break-even proceeds (pre-tax) = basis + target ÷ (1 − tax) · Sell price = proceeds ÷ [shares × (1 − sell fee)]
Getting back to your buy price is not enough — the selling fee skims the proceeds and buying costs already sit in your basis, so you need a price above entry just to be whole. Notice that at true break-even your gain is zero, so capital-gains tax does not apply there; tax only starts biting once you aim for an actual profit. That is why entering a target net profit raises the required price by the gain grossed up for tax.
Worked example
Buy 100 shares at $50 ($5,000 basis, no buy fee). With a 0.25% selling fee, break-even proceeds must equal $5,000, so the sell price is 5,000 ÷ (100 × 0.9975) ≈ $50.13 — a 0.25% rise. To net $1,000 after 15% tax, pre-tax proceeds must be 5,000 + 1,000/0.85 = $6,176, needing a sell price near $61.92.
Frequently asked questions
Why doesn’t tax change the pure break-even?
Capital-gains tax applies only to a gain. At break-even you have no gain — proceeds equal your basis — so there is nothing to tax. Tax only enters once you want to keep a profit, which is why the target-profit input grosses the goal up by (1 − tax rate).
What counts in the cost basis?
Your purchase price times shares, plus any commission paid to buy. That total is the number your net proceeds must exceed to break even. Selling costs are handled separately as they come out of the sale.
Does this handle short-term vs long-term rates?
Enter whichever capital-gains rate applies to your holding period. Short-term gains are usually taxed as ordinary income at a higher rate than long-term gains, so use the correct one for an accurate target.
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Educational estimate, not investment advice. Markets involve risk of loss and future returns are never guaranteed.