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Bitcoin Profit Calculator

FinanceInvestment Tools
Trade
Exchange fees
Profit or loss —
Return on amount invested
—
Bitcoin bought (BTC)
—
Sale proceeds after fee
—
Total fees paid
—
Break-even sell price
—
Amount invested against sale proceeds
The chart appears with your result

Bitcoin profit is what you receive from the sale after fees minus what you spent. Put $1,000 in at $40,000 a coin and you hold 0.025 BTC; selling at $50,000 with 0.5% fees each way leaves $1,237.53, a profit of $237.53, or 23.75% on the money invested.

About this tool

Anyone who bought bitcoin and wants to know what a sale would leave them with needs more than the price change. Exchange fees are charged on the way in and on the way out, so a 25% price rise never becomes a 25% return. Enter the dollars you spent, the price you paid per coin, the price you would sell at and each fee as a percentage. The calculator shows the coins bought, the proceeds after the sell fee, the profit or loss, the percentage return, the total fees and the sell price at which you would exactly break even, with the working laid out line by line and a bar chart comparing stake and proceeds. It handles a single purchase; several buys at different prices need an average cost first, and it does not estimate tax owed.

How to use it

  1. Enter the trade

    Type the dollars invested, the price per bitcoin when you bought and the price you sold at or expect to sell at.

  2. Add the exchange fees

    Enter the buy and sell fee as percentages of the trade value. Leave them at 0 for a fee-free comparison.

  3. Read the profit and return

    The headline shows profit or loss in dollars; below it are the return, coins held, proceeds, fees and break-even price.

  4. Check the working

    Each step lists the numbers used, and the bar chart sets the amount invested beside the proceeds. Download it as PNG, SVG or CSV if needed.

Examples

$1,000 at $20,000, sold at $30,000

Amount invested
1000
Buy price per bitcoin
20000
Sell price per bitcoin
30000
Buy fee
0
Sell fee
0

Result Profit or loss: $500.00
Return on amount invested: 50%
Bitcoin bought (BTC): 0.05
Sale proceeds after fee: $1,500.00
Total fees paid: $0.00
Break-even sell price: $20,000.00

  1. Bitcoin bought = (1000 − 0 buy fee) ÷ 20000 = 0.05 BTC
  2. Gross sale = 0.05 × 30000 = 1500
  3. Proceeds = 1500 − 0 sell fee = 1500
  4. Profit = 1500 − 1000 = 500
  5. Return = 500 ÷ 1000 × 100 = 50%

$1,000 buys 0.05 BTC. At $30,000 that coin is worth $1,500, so the gain is $500, a 50% return before any fees.

$1,000 at $40,000, sold at $50,000, 0.5% fees

Amount invested
1000
Buy price per bitcoin
40000
Sell price per bitcoin
50000
Buy fee
0.5
Sell fee
0.5

Result Profit or loss: $237.53
Return on amount invested: 23.75%
Bitcoin bought (BTC): 0.024875
Sale proceeds after fee: $1,237.53
Total fees paid: $11.22
Break-even sell price: $40,403.02

  1. Bitcoin bought = (1000 − 5 buy fee) ÷ 40000 = 0.024875 BTC
  2. Gross sale = 0.024875 × 50000 = 1243.75
  3. Proceeds = 1243.75 − 6.22 sell fee = 1237.53
  4. Profit = 1237.53 − 1000 = 237.53
  5. Return = 237.53 ÷ 1000 × 100 = 23.75%

A 25% price rise turns into a 23.75% return once the $5.00 buy fee and $6.22 sell fee are taken out.

$500 at $60,000, sold at $45,000

Amount invested
500
Buy price per bitcoin
60000
Sell price per bitcoin
45000
Buy fee
0
Sell fee
0

Result Profit or loss: -$125.00
Return on amount invested: -25%
Bitcoin bought (BTC): 0.00833333
Sale proceeds after fee: $375.00
Total fees paid: $0.00
Break-even sell price: $60,000.00

  1. Bitcoin bought = (500 − 0 buy fee) ÷ 60000 = 0.00833333 BTC
  2. Gross sale = 0.00833333 × 45000 = 375
  3. Proceeds = 375 − 0 sell fee = 375
  4. Profit = 375 − 500 = -125
  5. Return = -125 ÷ 500 × 100 = -25%

A 25% fall in price costs a quarter of the stake: $500 becomes $375, a loss of $125.

How it is calculated

BTC = (I − I × f_b) ÷ P_b; R = BTC × P_s × (1 − f_s); Profit = R − I; Return = Profit ÷ I × 100

I
Amount invested in dollars, including the buy fee
P_b
Buy price per bitcoin
P_s
Sell price per bitcoin
f_b, f_s
Buy and sell fees as fractions
R
Sale proceeds after the sell fee

The buy fee is taken from the amount invested before coins are bought, which is how most exchanges quote a percentage fee. The sell fee is taken from the gross sale value. Profit compares proceeds with the full amount spent, which matches the IRS description of a gain as the amount realised minus the cost basis. The break-even price is I ÷ (BTC × (1 − f_s)).

Sources

When not to use it

  • Several purchases at different prices need an average cost per coin before this works.
  • It does not estimate capital gains tax owed on the profit.
  • Flat network or withdrawal fees in BTC are not modelled, only percentage exchange fees.

Common mistakes

  • Comparing only the two prices and forgetting the fees charged on both sides.
  • Entering the coin amount instead of the dollar amount invested.
  • Using the exchange spread price you saw rather than the price you actually filled at.

Frequently asked questions

How is bitcoin profit calculated?

Divide the dollars invested, less the buy fee, by the buy price to get coins held. Multiply by the sell price, subtract the sell fee, and take away the original amount invested. What remains is profit, or a loss if it is negative.

Why is my return lower than the price change?

Fees are charged twice. With 0.5% on each side, a move from $40,000 to $50,000 is a 25% price rise but a 23.75% return, because $11.22 of every $1,000 goes to the exchange.

What does the break-even sell price mean?

It is the price per bitcoin at which the proceeds after the sell fee exactly equal the amount you invested. Below it you lose money; above it you make a profit. With fees it always sits a little above the buy price.

Does the profit shown include tax?

No. The IRS treats bitcoin as property, so a sale gives a capital gain or loss equal to proceeds minus basis. The figure here is that pre-tax gain; the tax rate depends on how long you held the coins and your income.

Can I use it for other cryptocurrencies?

Yes. The arithmetic is the same for ether or any coin bought and sold at a price per unit with percentage fees. Only the label on the coins held says BTC.

What if I bought at several different prices?

Work out the total dollars spent and the total coins received, divide one by the other for an average buy price, then enter the total spent and that average price here.