Events · Promoters
Ticket price for a profit target.
Reverse the break-even sum: give the profit you want and the tickets you assume you sell, and get the lowest ticket price that reaches it after platform fees.
Example: 150 tickets assumed sold, $2,600.00 of fixed costs, $1.50 per guest, a $500.00 profit target and fees absorbed. The lowest price that reaches it is $25.65; profit at that price is $500.07. This is arithmetic on your assumed ticket count, not a forecast that 150 will sell.
Results vary. Not affiliated with Eventbrite.
This is planning arithmetic on numbers you enter. It does not predict sales or promise any outcome. Eventbrite rates were read from its public pages on 19 October 2026 and can change; the platform's own statement is the authority.
Inputs
Your result
Fill the form and press Calculate.
Solving for price instead of tickets
Why reverse it. Often the ticket count is the thing you cannot change: the room is small, or you can only credibly reach so many people. Then the question is what price covers costs and leaves the profit you want. This tool fixes tickets and solves for price.
Why fees make it less obvious. If buyers pay the fees, the price you set is what you keep per ticket, so the solve is simple. If you absorb them, the platform takes a percentage of the price itself plus flat amounts, so the price has to be lifted by more than the shortfall. Because the fees are linear, the answer is exact, not iterated.
Reading the buyer price. Buyers see the price plus their fees when they pay. The result shows both numbers so you can judge whether the checkout total feels right for your crowd. Whether it will sell at that price is not something arithmetic can say.
Worked example
150 tickets assumed, fixed costs $2,600.00, no sponsorship, $1.50 per guest, $500.00 target, fees absorbed. Per ticket you need ($500 + $2,600) / 150 = $20.67 plus $1.50 guest cost plus the $1.79 flat service fee, all divided by (1 - 3.7% - 2.9%) = 0.934. That is $25.65 rounded up to the next cent, and the profit check returns $500.07. If buyers paid the fees, the price would be $22.17 and they would see $25.50.
Methodology
price = ((target + F - S) / tickets + v + e) / m, where F = fixed costs, S = sponsorship, v = cost per guest, and for absorbed fees m = (1 - refund share) - (service % + processing %) and e = flat service fee + flat processing per order / tickets per order (with fee-return adjustments if ticked); for buyer-paid fees m = 1 - refund share and e = 0. The result is rounded up to the cent, then profit is recomputed forward to confirm. If m is zero or negative, fees and refunds take the whole price and the tool says no price works. If sponsorship alone covers the target the price is zero.
What this page does not cover
- Whether the crowd will pay that price or how many tickets will sell at it. Price and demand are linked in real life; this tool holds tickets fixed.
- Dynamic or tiered pricing: early-bird, door and VIP prices need one run each.
- Sales tax or VAT added to tickets, local amusement or entertainment taxes, and any tax on your own profit. For US self-employment tax see IRS Topic 554; this is general information, not tax advice.
- Prices in other currencies, currency conversion, and any platform fee schedule that is not typed into the rate boxes. Rates change, so check the platform before you publish tickets.
- Chargebacks, no-shows, door sales, bar or merchandise income, and unsold comps. Add them to costs or sponsorship yourself if you want them in the answer.
Sources
- Eventbrite organizer pricing page: 3.7% + $1.79 service fee per paid ticket, 2.9% payment processing per order, no fees for free events, fees paid by buyers by default, retrieved 19 October 2026.
Break-even and reverse-price arithmetic is standard cost-volume-profit maths worked from first principles, not copied from any single write-up.
Frequently asked questions
How do I price a ticket to make a profit?
Add fixed costs and the profit you want, subtract contracted sponsorship, divide by tickets, add per-guest cost and any flat fees, then lift for percentage fees. The calculator does this exactly.
Why is the price higher when I absorb the fees?
Part of every dollar of price goes to the percentage fees, so you need more price to keep the same amount.
What ticket count should I enter?
A number you could defend, below usable capacity. Try several; the tool is arithmetic, not a forecast.
What if the price comes back at zero?
Contracted sponsorship already covers costs plus your target. A real event still needs a price that suits the audience.
Does it include sales tax?
No. Taxes added to tickets are outside this model.
Estimate only
Everything runs in your browser and nothing you type is sent anywhere. Not tax, legal or financial advice. Results vary with your real sales, costs and the platform's current terms.