CAC Payback Period (Customer Acquisition Cost Payback Period) measures how long it takes for a business to earn back the money it spent to acquire a new customer. In simple terms, it answers: How many months until this customer “pays for themselves”?
It’s a key metric for SaaS and subscription-based businesses, especially when growth and cash flow need to be balanced.
How it works:
You calculate it by dividing your Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) by the Monthly Gross Margin from that customer.
Formula:
CAC Payback Period = CAC / Monthly Gross Margin
Why it matters:
A shorter payback period means your business recovers its investment faster, which is great for cash flow and scalability. A longer payback period can signal risk — especially if customers churn before they become profitable.
Example:
If it costs you €1,200 to acquire a new customer and you make €200/month in gross margin from them, the CAC Payback Period is 6 months. That means it’ll take half a year before that customer starts generating profit.