Can the van pay for itself? Here's the number it has to hit.
The van
Running it
The work
What the van demands
The van covers itself at 1.1 cats/day, which fits inside your stated capacity of 5.0. Run full and it clears $8,650 a month above fixed costs.
How the math works
Fixed cost = monthly payment + fuel + insurance + maintenance + other fixed. These bill whether or not a cat gets groomed, which is what makes them the thing to cover first.
Break-even grooms = fixed cost ÷ average ticket. Break-even per day divides that by working days per month.
For a target profit, the same division runs on (fixed cost + target), because profit behaves exactly like one more fixed cost you have chosen to owe yourself.
Months to recoup = vehicle cost ÷ monthly profit at full capacity, where profit at capacity is (capacity × days × ticket) − fixed cost. It assumes a full book every month, so read it as a ceiling.
Ran the numbers and want the playbook for what to do next?
The Edge has the long version — the decision rules, the worked examples, and the part where you actually change something.
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Common questions
How many cats a day does a mobile groomer need to break even?
It depends almost entirely on fixed cost and average ticket, which is why a single number circulated online is useless. Add up the payment, fuel, insurance, maintenance and anything else that bills whether you work or not, then divide by your average ticket and by working days. That is your break-even. Everything above it is the only part that pays you.
Why does capacity matter as much as cost?
Because a van has a hard ceiling a salon does not. In a shop you can overlap: one cat dries while you start the next. In a van, drive time is dead time and a cat cannot be crated to dry while you work another, so throughput per day is capped lower than most people assume when they budget. If break-even lands above your realistic capacity, the van cannot work at that ticket no matter how much demand exists.
Should I enter the vehicle cost or the monthly payment?
Both, and they do different jobs. The monthly payment feeds the fixed cost that sets break-even. The total vehicle cost feeds the recoup estimate — how many months of profit it takes to earn the purchase back. If you bought outright, set the monthly payment to zero and keep the vehicle cost.
Is the months-to-recoup number a forecast?
No. It is a straight division: vehicle cost divided by monthly profit at full capacity. It assumes you run at capacity every month, which nobody does. Treat it as a best case and a comparison tool between scenarios, not a prediction. Confirm any real financing decision with your accountant.
Does this account for taxes or depreciation?
No. It models cash in and cash out, not tax treatment. Vehicle depreciation, Section 179 style deductions and mileage versus actual-expense methods all materially change the after-tax picture, and they depend on your jurisdiction and your books. Run the cash math here, then take it to an accountant.