Running a business, or keeping the books for one, means a steady stream of small questions: what should this sell for, what did we really make on it, how much of this invoice is tax. This calculator for small businesses and accountants answers them in a note where every number is labeled, so you can check the working later or hand it to someone else.
Every example shows the answers Notes Calculator gives. Choose Open in Notes Calculator to open one in the web app with your own figures.
Shelf price, margin and sale price
Retailers usually price from cost with a markup, but the margin is what you keep from each sale. Work out both, then see what a discount leaves.
| Note | Result |
|---|---|
| cost = 40 USD | $40 |
| price = cost + 60% | $64 |
| Margin: (price - cost) / price as % | 37.50% |
| sale price = 25% off price | $48 |
| Margin on sale: (sale price - cost) / sale price as % | 16.67% |
A 25% discount on a 60% markup leaves a much thinner margin than most people guess. The discount calculator guide has more sale-price examples.
VAT out of a gross amount
When a receipt shows the price including VAT, divide by one plus the rate to get the net amount; the difference is the VAT.
| Note | Result |
|---|---|
| gross = 1,210 USD | $1,210 |
| net = gross / (1 + 21%) | $1,000 |
| VAT: gross - net | $210 |
Straight-line depreciation
Spread the cost of an asset, less what you expect to sell it for, evenly over its useful life.
| Note | Result |
|---|---|
| asset cost = 50,000 USD | $50,000 |
| salvage = 5,000 USD | $5,000 |
| useful life = 7 | 7 |
| Per year: (asset cost - salvage) / useful life | $6,428.57 |
Recruiters: salary, hourly rate and placement fee
Recruiters move between annual salaries, hourly equivalents and fees all day. Name the salary once and work out the rest from it.
| Note | Result |
|---|---|
| salary = 85k USD | $85,000 |
| Hourly at 2,080 hours: salary / 2080 | $40.87 |
| Placement fee at 20%: salary * 20% | $17,000 |
For take-home pay after tax, or hourly to annual in the other direction, see the salary calculator guide.
Daily takings
Label each session or till and total them at close.
| Note | Result |
|---|---|
| Morning: 312.50 USD | $312.50 |
| Afternoon: 478.20 USD | $478.20 |
| Evening: 205.75 USD | $205.75 |
| total | $996.45 |
If you mostly calculate in spreadsheets, the notepad calculator vs spreadsheet guide explains when each one fits.
Start free at app.notescalculator.com, or see what Lifetime adds if you want a note per client or per month, synced across your devices.