
If you use GoCardless with a partner integration (e.g. They are collected either as soon as possible or on your specified date. This means it cuts down on your administrative costs.įor example, with GoCardless, set up both recurring and one-off payments in advance. Using a modern payment gateway such as GoCardless substantially cuts down on your administration. The fact that updating your payment infrastructure can both reduce costs and increase revenue justifies making it a top priority. Importance of your payment infrastructure Removing the products/services with the lowest profit margins.

Improving productivity to create more units for the same resources. Purchasing infrastructure ‘as a service’ instead of buying it outright. The first is to reduce costs, particularly fixed costs. There are essentially only two ways to improve the margin of safety. If you focus on seasonal goods, keep an eye on this margin to guide you through off-peak sales periods. It can also help you decide how secure you are moving forwards. Use this information to decide if you want to expand or reevaluate your inventory. They may also have higher profit margins as they will not increase fixed costs (only variable ones). The 1,000 sales above the break-even point therefore contribute to the margin of safety. In other words, Company A could lose 1,000 sales and still break even. This gives a buffer of 1,000 units before the business becomes unprofitable. Ideally, aim for at least 70%–75%.įor example, Company A has a margin of safety of 50%. In this instance, 50% is probably a bare minimum. If you have many fixed costs, then it’s advisable to have a much higher minimum margin of safety percentage. This is because you are probably more able to scale down costs in slow periods. If your costs are largely variable, then a margin of safety percentage of 20%–25% may be acceptable.

In the real world, the minimum margin of safety percentage to aim for generally depends on your cost structure. The value represented by your margin of safety is your buffer against becoming unprofitable. Generally speaking, the higher your margin of safety, the safer your company. What is a good margin of safety percentage? For example, the management team may see it as a temporary issue that will be resolved by future improvements. In some cases, having a low margin of safety may be a risk you are willing to take. This gives an idea of how risk is spread throughout a single company. The margin of safety formula can be applied to different company departments or even to individual products or services. This is useful for businesses making plans for the future. The margin of safety percentage can also be worked out using forecasted sales. Margin of Safety = ((Actual Sales – Break-even Sales) / Actual Sales)*100 For example, if Company A made £200,000 in sales with a break-even point of £100,000, they have following margin of safety: To calculate the margin of safety, subtract your break-even point from your revenue. The bigger the margin of safety, the lower your risk of insolvency. It’s essentially a cushion that allows your business to experience some losses without suffering too much negative impact. So, the margin of safety is the quantifiable distance you are from being unprofitable. They may also directly reflect your own costs. This is because they generally reflect usage. Variable costs are calculated each billing period. They may, however, increase your variable costs. As their name suggests, fixed costs (also known as overheads) remain the same from one billing cycle to the next. Generating additional revenue should not make a difference to your fixed costs. You do still need to allow for any additional costs that your company must pay. In other words, your business does not make a loss but it doesn’t make a profit either.Īny revenue that takes your business above the break-even point contributes to the margin of safety. Your break-even point is where your revenue covers your costs but nothing more. The margin of safety (MOS) is the difference between your gross revenue and your break-even point.

What is the definition of "margin of safety"? It’s also important for company accountants to keep a close eye on the margin of safety.

Keeping an eye on outgoings and profit margins is an everyday occurrence for businesses.
