Profit on Return calculator - maximise profit by product
Grab our free Retail Pricing Guide (PDF) — POR vs margin vs markup, every formula behind this calculator, Tax/VAT rates by region and worked examples you can keep at the till. Enter your email and we'll send it straight over.
Free, no sign-up. We use your email address only to send you the guide and to keep a record of your request — see our Privacy Policy.
PORcalc is a free online profit on return (POR) calculator built for retail, convenience store and fuel pricing teams. Enter a product's case cost, Tax/VAT rate and selling price to instantly see cost each, Tax/VAT amount, POR percentage and POR value — or work backwards from a target POR to find the selling price you need to charge.
Everything runs locally in your browser: nothing you type is uploaded, stored on a server, or shared with third parties. Save results to a running history table, export it as a CSV, and switch between GBP, EUR, USD and other currencies with region-specific Tax/VAT presets.
POR (Profit on Return) expresses profit as a percentage of the selling price, while margin typically expresses profit as a percentage of cost. POR answers "how much of what the customer pays is profit?", which makes it more useful for retail pricing decisions than margin alone.
Use the standard VAT/sales tax rate that applies to the product in your country or region — for example 20% standard-rate VAT in the UK. PORcalc includes currency-linked presets as a starting point, but always confirm the correct rate for your specific product and jurisdiction.
No. Every calculation runs locally in your browser. Nothing you enter — product costs, selling prices, or history entries — is sent to a server, stored remotely, or shared with any third party. See the Privacy Policy for details.
Yes. Enter your cost and VAT/tax rate, then work backwards from a target POR percentage to see the selling price required to hit that profitability target.
Yes, PORcalc is completely free, with no sign-up, subscription, or account required.
Yes. Use the Free PDF Guide section to have our Retail Pricing Guide emailed to you. It covers POR vs margin vs markup, every formula used by the calculator, and Tax/VAT quick reference tables.
POR (Profit on Return) represents the proportion of the selling price that is retained as profit after costs are deducted.
It is one of the most widely used profitability measures in retail because it shows, at a glance, how efficiently a product generates profit relative to its final selling price.
Unlike margin, which compares profit against cost, POR focuses on the customer-facing selling price, making it especially useful for pricing decisions, product comparisons, and understanding how much profit each sale truly delivers.
Retailers use POR to evaluate product performance, optimise pricing strategies, and ensure that ranges meet required profitability targets.
Results are based on the values you enter and will vary depending on your inputs.