Dog Daycare Break-Even Occupancy Calculator

Find the number of dogs per day and the occupancy rate a dog daycare needs to cover its costs, plus the monthly profit at the occupancy you expect.

Your estimate

Break-even dogs per day...

Break-even occupancy...

Monthly profit at expected occupancy...

Where you stand...

Estimates only. Assumptions are listed below, and you can change every input.

Most daycare owners know their rent and their daily rate but not the exact point where the month stops losing money. That number matters when you set prices, decide whether to add a second playroom, or judge if a slow January is a problem or just a slow January. This calculator gives you the break-even dog count, the occupancy that represents, and what your expected occupancy leaves over.

It uses standard contribution math. Each dog-day earns your average rate minus the variable cost of caring for that dog. Divide monthly fixed costs by that contribution and by your operating days, and you get the dogs per day required to break even. Everything depends on the averages you enter, so use real figures from your books, including package discounts in the rate and hourly floor labor in the variable cost.

How to use this tool

Enter your daily capacity and the average revenue you actually collect per dog-day after discounts.
Add your variable cost per dog-day, your monthly fixed costs, and the days you are open in a typical month.
Set the occupancy you expect and read the break-even dog count, the break-even occupancy, and your monthly profit.

What the math assumes

Contribution per dog-day is your average revenue per dog-day minus your variable cost per dog-day; if that is zero or negative, break-even is shown as 0 because no volume covers the costs.
Fixed costs are assumed to stay flat regardless of how many dogs attend in the month.
Occupancy is treated as an average across all operating days, so a full Monday and an empty Friday count as two half-full days.
Revenue from boarding, grooming, retail, or training is not included unless you fold it into the daily rate.
The result is before income tax and does not account for seasonality within the month.

Frequently asked questions

Should hourly handler pay go in fixed or variable costs?

If you send handlers home when attendance is light, treat their pay as variable and put a per-dog-day estimate in the variable cost field. If you guarantee their hours regardless of attendance, it belongs in fixed costs.

Why is the break-even shown as 0 when I raise the variable cost?

If variable cost equals or exceeds your average rate, each dog loses money and no number of dogs can cover fixed costs. The verdict line will tell you the rate does not cover variable cost.

What if break-even occupancy is above 100%?

Your fixed costs are too high for your capacity and rate. The fixes are a higher rate, more capacity, lower fixed costs, or more operating days, and the tool lets you test each one.

Can I use this for a half-day and full-day mix?

Yes, as long as the daily rate you enter is the blended average across both. Total monthly revenue divided by total dog-days from your software gives you that number.

Link to this toolhttps://pupcheckr.com/tools/break-even-occupancy/

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