STARTUP PLANNING

Startup Cost Calculator

Add the costs to launch, the monthly burn, and the amount of runway you want.

One-time launch costsWhat you expect to pay before or around launch.

Legal and registrationFormation, contracts, licenses, and insurance.$Equipment and setupHardware, inventory, deposits, or production setup.$Brand, website, and launchBranding, website work, and initial launch spend.$Other one-time costs optionalAnything else that does not repeat monthly.$

Monthly operating costsWhat you need to fund before customer payments cover it.

Team and contractorsFounder draw, payroll, contractors, and freelancers.$Software and servicesHosting, subscriptions, accounting, and tools.$Marketing and salesRecurring ads, content, and sales activity.$Other monthly costs optionalRent, insurance, supplies, and other overhead.$

Capital bufferSet how long the plan should run before it relies on customer payments.

Runway monthsMonths of operating costs to fund upfront.monthsContingencyExtra room for costs that arrive later than expected.%

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STARTUP COSTS

Know the cost to start, then the cost to keep going.

Separate what you pay once from what hits the bank account every month.

FORMULA

Capital needed to launch

Add one-time costs to the monthly burn for the months you want to fund. Then add your buffer.

Capital needed(One-time costs + monthly costs × runway months) × (1 + contingency)

EXAMPLE

$8,000 to launch, $2,000 monthly burn, six months of runway

The plan needs $20,000 before contingency: $8,000 of launch costs plus $12,000 to fund six months. A 15% reserve brings the target to $23,000.

One-time costs: $8,000
Six-month runway: $12,000
Capital target: $23,000

MAKE THE PLAN REAL

Make the budget easy to change.

When each cost sits in the right bucket, you can cut runway, change monthly burn, or see where the money is going.

One-time costsLegal, equipment, setup, and launch work

Monthly costsTeam, software, marketing, rent, and overhead

ContingencyA visible reserve for uncertainty, not a hidden guess

QUESTIONS

Startup cost questions

How do you calculate startup costs?

Add one-time launch costs to the monthly operating costs you need to fund before customer payments cover them. Then add a contingency reserve you choose for unexpected costs.

What counts as a one-time startup cost?

Typical one-time costs include legal formation, licenses, equipment, initial inventory, deposits, a website build, branding, and launch work. A cost belongs here only if it does not repeat each month.

What should be included in monthly operating costs?

Include team costs, software, rent, insurance, marketing, accounting, and other expenses that continue even when sales are low or zero.

How much runway should a startup plan for?

The right runway depends on the business and access to capital. This calculator lets you test the number of months you intend to fund, rather than assuming a generic amount.

Why add a contingency reserve?

Estimates rarely capture every cost or delay. An explicit contingency makes the buffer visible and keeps it separate from costs you expect to spend.