Payback Period

Payback Period - Calculate and analyze your financial metrics with this comprehensive calculator.

Free to use
12,500+ users
Updated January 2025
Instant results

Payback Period Calculator

Calculate simple and discounted payback periods with comprehensive investment analysis

Project Details

Annual Cash Flows

Project Templates

Payback Period

Time required to recover initial investment from cash inflows

Useful for assessing liquidity and risk

Payback Period Reference

Simple Payback Period

= Initial Investment ÷ Average Annual Cash Flow

Ignores time value of money and cash flows after payback

Discounted Payback Period

Uses discounted cash flows to account for time value

More conservative and theoretically sound

Advantages

Easy to understand, assesses liquidity risk, useful for new businesses

Limitations

Ignores cash flows after payback, arbitrary cutoff period

When to Use

High-risk projects, liquidity constraints, early-stage ventures

Interpretation

Shorter payback = lower risk and faster cash recovery