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Businessfinance

EBITDA Calculator

EBITDA with the gap to net income shown item by item. It is a useful comparison measure and a poor proxy for cash, and the add-backs on this page are why.

Also called: ebitda margin calculator, operating cash proxy.

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EBITDA
$3,000,000.00

$3,000,000.00, a margin of 30%. Net income is $1,450,000.00, and the $1,550,000.00 of difference is the interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation added back.

EBITDA margin
30%
EBIT
$2,000,000.00
Net income
$1,450,000.00
Total added back
$1,550,000.00
Net margin
14.5%

An estimate, not an offer or a guarantee. Projected returns assume the rate you entered holds for the whole term, which no market does.

Method and background

How this is calculated

EBITDA strips out financing, tax and non-cash charges so two businesses with different capital structures and asset bases can be compared. That is genuinely useful. It is also why it flatters: depreciation is not a real cash cost this year, but it is a real cost of assets that will need replacing, and a business that ignores it will eventually meet the bill. Showing net income alongside keeps both facts in view.

EBITDA = revenue - operating expenses before depreciation and amortisation
R
Revenue (currency)
OpEx
Cash operating expenses (currency)

Method and limits

What it assumes

  • Operating expenses entered exclude depreciation and amortisation.

What it deliberately does not model

  • Working capital movements and capital expenditure are excluded, so EBITDA is not free cash flow.
  • Adjusted EBITDA, where further items are added back at management discretion, is a different and softer number.

Formula version 1.0.0 · definition 1.0.0 · United States · Report a problem with this calculator

Frequently asked questions

Why is EBITDA criticised?
Because it removes real costs. Interest is owed, tax is owed, and depreciation reflects assets wearing out. It is a comparison tool, not a measure of what the business generated.