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Cash-on-cash return calculator

Compute the cash-on-cash return of a property from its annual cash flow and cash invested.

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Enter Annual pre-tax cash flow, Total cash invested and the Cash-on-cash return calculator works out Cash-on-cash return straight away. For instance, with Annual pre-tax cash flow = $6,000.00 and Total cash invested = $50,000.00 it returns Cash-on-cash return = 12%.

How to use it

  1. Enter your values: Annual pre-tax cash flow, Total cash invested.
  2. Read the result instantly: Cash-on-cash return.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Cash-on-cash return calculator actually compute?

It takes Annual pre-tax cash flow and Total cash invested and derives Cash-on-cash return from them. The calculation is live as you type, so the result updates on every change.

What information do I need to provide?

2 values: Annual pre-tax cash flow ($) and Total cash invested ($). Nothing else is required — no account, no file upload.

Can you show a worked example?

With Annual pre-tax cash flow = $6,000.00 and Total cash invested = $50,000.00, the calculator returns Cash-on-cash return = 12%. Those figures come from running this exact tool, so you can reproduce them by entering the same values.

What happens if I enter larger values?

It moves a lot. Using Annual pre-tax cash flow = $6,600.00 and Total cash invested = $100,000.00 instead, Cash-on-cash return goes from 12% to 6.6% — which is why it is worth testing a few scenarios rather than trusting a single figure.

What does it give for smaller values?

Scaled down to Annual pre-tax cash flow = $5,400.00 and Total cash invested = $25,000.00, Cash-on-cash return comes out at 21.6%. The relationship is worth checking at both ends before you rely on a single result.

When would I actually use this?

Setting or checking a rent, working out the yield a property really returns, and splitting a part-month at the start or end of a tenancy.

What is the most common mistake?

Quoting a gross yield. Once charges, tax, insurance, management and vacancy are taken out, the net figure is routinely a third to a half lower.

How accurate is it, and what are the limits?

Estimate only — not financial advice.

What is the difference between the Cash-on-cash return calculator and the Rental cash-flow calculator?

Both return Cash-on-cash return. What differs is what they ask for: this one wants Annual pre-tax cash flow and Total cash invested, the Rental cash-flow calculator wants Monthly rent and Vacancy and unpaid rent (% of the year). Use whichever matches the numbers you already have.

Is there a tool for the next step?

Rental property calculator is the closest one after this: Analyse a rental property like an investor: from the price, financing, rent and operating costs it works out the monthly mortgage, the cash flow, the capitalisation rate, the cash-on-cash return and the gross yield — the core numbers that tell you whether a deal makes money.

Further reading

All guides →
ExplainerTwelve Per Cent Cash-on-Cash, and Six Per Cent for the Same Building6,000 of annual cash flow on 50,000 invested is 12 %. The same property bought outright yields 6 % on 250,000 — the doubling is the mortgage, and it is not in the ratio.ExplainerWhat Is a Cap Rate, and What Counts as a Good OneCap rate is net operating income divided by price — a return that deliberately ignores your mortgage. Here is how to compute it, and why a high one is a warning as often as a bargain.ExplainerA DSCR of 1.25 Is the Lender's Cushion, Not Yours150,000 of net operating income against 120,000 of debt service is a coverage of 1.25 — the usual threshold. It also means a 20 % fall in income wipes the cover out entirely.How-toHow to Calculate Rental Cash Flow (And the Yield You Need to Break Even)Rent minus charges minus the loan. On an 80 percent mortgage at 3.5 percent over 25 years, a rental only breaks even from about 7.1 percent gross yield — here is the full calculation.GuideFurnished or Unfurnished in France: the Real Gap Once Tax Is PaidFurnishing a flat moves it from one tax code to another: 50 % of the rent is written off instead of 30 %, and a landlord on the full regime can depreciate the building. Since 15 February 2025 that depreciation is clawed back on sale, which changes the whole calculation.ComparisonRenting vs Buying a Home: Which Is Better?Renting vs buying, compared honestly: the break-even horizon, the opportunity cost of a down payment, and the situations where each option wins.