📊 Profit & Loss Calculator

Q: How do you calculate profit percentage?

Profit percentage = (Profit / Cost Price) × 100. Where Profit = Selling Price − Cost Price. Example: Cost Price = ₹500, Selling Price = ₹650. Profit = ₹150. Profit % = (150 / 500) × 100 = 30%.

Q: How do you calculate loss percentage?

Loss percentage = (Loss / Cost Price) × 100. Where Loss = Cost Price − Selling Price. Example: Cost Price = ₹800, Selling Price = ₹680. Loss = ₹120. Loss % = (120 / 800) × 100 = 15%.

Q: How do you find the selling price from profit percentage?

Selling Price = Cost Price × (1 + Profit% / 100). Example: Cost Price = ₹1,000, desired profit = 25%. SP = 1000 × (1 + 25/100) = 1000 × 1.25 = ₹1,250.

Q: What is the difference between profit % and markup %?

Profit % (margin) is calculated on the selling price: Profit % = (Profit / SP) × 100. Markup % is calculated on the cost price: Markup % = (Profit / CP) × 100. For the same transaction, markup % is always higher than profit %. Example: Buy at ₹100, sell at ₹150. Markup = 50%, but Profit margin = (50/150) × 100 = 33.3%. This calculator uses cost price as the base, which gives the markup percentage.

Q: How do you find the cost price from the selling price and profit percentage?

Cost Price = Selling Price × 100 / (100 + Profit%). Example: Selling Price = ₹1,200, Profit % = 20%. CP = 1200 × 100 / (100 + 20) = 1200 × 100 / 120 = ₹1,000. If it's a loss: CP = SP × 100 / (100 − Loss%).

Calculate profit or loss percentage, find selling price or cost price. Four modes — instant results for any P&L scenario. Free, no signup.

Cost Price (₹)

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Selling Price (₹)

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Selling Price

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Profit and Loss Formulas

Profit and loss calculations are fundamental to business, commerce and competitive exams in India. The core formulas are straightforward once you understand the relationship between Cost Price (CP), Selling Price (SP), Profit and Loss.

Basic Formulas

Profit = SP − CP (when SP > CP)
Loss = CP − SP (when CP > SP)
Profit % = (Profit / CP) × 100
Loss % = (Loss / CP) × 100
SP = CP × (100 + Profit%) / 100
SP = CP × (100 − Loss%) / 100
CP = SP × 100 / (100 + Profit%)
CP = SP × 100 / (100 − Loss%)

Markup vs Profit Margin

Markup percentage and profit margin percentage are often confused but calculated differently:

Markup % is calculated on cost price: (Profit ÷ CP) × 100
Profit Margin % is calculated on selling price: (Profit ÷ SP) × 100
For the same transaction, markup % is always higher than profit margin %
Example: Buy at ₹100, sell at ₹150 — Markup = 50%, Margin = 33.3%
Retailers typically talk about markup; accountants and analysts use margin

How to Use This Calculator

CP & SP → P/L % — Enter cost price and selling price to find profit or loss amount and percentage
CP & P% → SP — Enter cost price and desired profit percentage to find the selling price you should charge
SP & P% → CP — Enter selling price and profit percentage to reverse-calculate the cost price
Markup → SP — Enter cost price and markup percentage to find the selling price (useful for traders)
For loss scenarios, enter a negative percentage in the P% field

Quick Reference: P&L in Competitive Exams

Profit and loss is a key topic in SSC, IBPS, CAT, UPSC and most Indian competitive exams. Common exam-style questions include finding CP from SP and profit%, calculating overall profit/loss when items are sold at different prices, and dishonest shopkeeper problems involving false weights.

If two items sold at same SP — one at X% profit and one at X% loss — there is always a net loss: Loss% = (X/10)²%
If a shopkeeper cheats with false weights: actual profit% = (Error / (True weight − Error)) × 100
Successive discounts of a% and b%: equivalent single discount = a + b − ab/100

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you calculate profit percentage?

Profit % = (Profit / Cost Price) × 100, where Profit = Selling Price − Cost Price. Example: Cost Price = ₹500, Selling Price = ₹650. Profit = ₹150. Profit % = (150 / 500) × 100 = 30%. Note that profit percentage is always calculated on the cost price, not the selling price.

How do you calculate loss percentage?

Loss % = (Loss / Cost Price) × 100, where Loss = Cost Price − Selling Price. Example: Cost Price = ₹800, Selling Price = ₹680. Loss = ₹120. Loss % = (120 / 800) × 100 = 15%. Like profit %, loss percentage is always expressed as a percentage of the cost price.

How do you find the selling price from profit percentage?

SP = CP × (100 + Profit%) / 100. Example: Cost Price = ₹1,000, desired profit = 25%. SP = 1,000 × (100 + 25) / 100 = 1,000 × 1.25 = ₹1,250. For a loss: SP = CP × (100 − Loss%) / 100. Example: CP = ₹1,000, loss = 10%. SP = 1,000 × 90 / 100 = ₹900.

What is the difference between profit % and markup %?

Markup % is based on cost price: (Profit ÷ CP) × 100. Profit margin % is based on selling price: (Profit ÷ SP) × 100. For the same transaction, markup is always higher. Example: Buy at ₹100, sell at ₹150. Markup = 50%, Profit margin = (50/150) × 100 = 33.3%. Retailers think in markup; accountants and analysts use profit margin. This calculator uses cost price as the base (markup).

How do you find the cost price from the selling price and profit %?

CP = SP × 100 / (100 + Profit%). Example: Selling Price = ₹1,200, Profit = 20%. CP = 1,200 × 100 / 120 = ₹1,000. For a loss scenario: CP = SP × 100 / (100 − Loss%). Example: SP = ₹900, Loss = 10%. CP = 900 × 100 / 90 = ₹1,000. Use the "SP & P% → CP" tab in this calculator to find cost price instantly.