ROI Calculator

ROI Calculator — The Finance Library

What is ROI and why does it matter? Return on Investment (ROI) answers one of the most fundamental questions in business: "Was it worth it?" It compares what you put in against what you got back, expressed as a percentage. A 25% ROI means that for every dollar spent, you earned 25 cents of profit — on top of getting your original dollar back. Businesses use ROI to compare options, justify spending decisions, and evaluate whether a project, campaign, or purchase delivered value. It is one of the simplest and most widely used tools in business decision-making.

Step 1 — What did you put in?

Total amount invested or spent

This could be the price you paid, the budget you approved, the cost of a project, or the value of resources you committed. Enter the full amount here.

Step 2 — What did you get back? (single period)

Tell us the outcome — choose whichever is easier for you

You can enter the total amount you received back, the gain (just the profit portion), or the percentage gain. Fill in any one and the others will calculate automatically.

Option A — Total value returned (everything you received back, including your original investment)

Option B — Net gain or loss (just the profit or loss, not including your original investment)

Option C — You already know the ROI %

Step 2 — What did you get back? (by period)

A "period" can be any length of time — a month, a quarter, a year, or any other unit. Enter the cash inflows (money coming in) for each period. Add as many periods as your project or investment runs for. Note: these calculations do not adjust for when in time each cash flow occurs.

Period	Cash inflow ($ received)	Label (optional)
Total received: —

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Return on Investment
ROI Calculator

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