
Because the cash inflow is uneven, the payback period formula cannot be used to compute the payback period. We can compute the payback period by computing the cumulative net cash flow as follows: Payback period = 3 + (15,000 * /40,000)
How do you calculate payback period using uneven cash flow in Excel?
First, input the initial investment into a cell (e.g., A3). Then, enter the annual cash flow into another (e.g., A4). To calculate the payback period, enter the following formula in an empty cell: "=A3/A4" as the payback period is calculated by dividing the initial investment by the annual cash inflow.
What is the formula for calculating payback period?
Payback period Formula = Total initial capital investment /Expected annual after-tax cash inflow. Let us see an example of how to calculate the payback period when cash flows are uniform over using the full life of the asset.
What is the uneven cash flow method?
Basically, uneven cash flows refer to a series of unequal payments made over a given period of time. For example, one may receive the following annual payments over a five year period: $500 US Dollars (USD), $300 USD, $400 USD, $250 USD and $750 USD.
How do you calculate the payback period of two projects?
To determine how to calculate payback period in practice, you simply divide the initial cash outlay of a project by the amount of net cash inflow that the project generates each year. For the purposes of calculating the payback period formula, you can assume that the net cash inflow is the same each year.
What is the payback period for the cash flows?
The payback period is the amount of time required for cash inflows generated by a project to offset its initial cash outflow. This calculation is useful for risk reduction analysis, since a project that generates a quick return is less risky than one that generates the same return over a longer period of time.
What is an example of a payback period?
The payback period is expressed in years and fractions of years. For example, if a company invests $300,000 in a new production line, and the production line then produces positive cash flow of $100,000 per year, then the payback period is 3.0 years ($300,000 initial investment ÷ $100,000 annual payback).
How do you handle uneven cash flow?
Six Ways to Smooth Out Uneven Cash FlowAdjust customer-credit and payment terms. ... Offer discounts for early-payers. ... Establish "milestone payments" for longer projects. ... Create new revenue streams by expanding existing service packages. ... Retain control of the final product until it's paid for.More items...•
How do you find uneven cash flow on a financial calculator?
1:092:06PV of Uneven Cash Flows using the BA II Plus Calculator - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipWe press the net. Present value we're going to find the present value of these uneven cash flows. SoMoreWe press the net. Present value we're going to find the present value of these uneven cash flows. So we enter their discount. Rate which is four percent. Then.
How do you calculate NPV with uneven cash flows?
0:502:45Finding the Net Present Value of uneven Cash Flows in ExcelYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo one way is to go to excel in Excel we can put the cash flows in this way. So we have time zero noMoreSo one way is to go to excel in Excel we can put the cash flows in this way. So we have time zero no cash flows and then one hundred three hundred and we can use a function called net.
How do you calculate payback period for project efficiency?
The payback period is typically calculated as “simple” payback: divide the initial cost of the energy- saving investment by the projected annual energy cost savings.
What is discounted payback period with example?
Example of the Discounted Payback Period The project is expected to return $1,000 each period for the next five periods, and the appropriate discount rate is 4%. The discounted payback period calculation begins with the -$3,000 cash outlay in the starting period. The first period will experience a +$1,000 cash inflow.
What are the 2 methods of cash flow statement?
Direct method – Operating cash flows are presented as a list of ingoing and outgoing cash flows. Essentially, the direct method subtracts the money you spend from the money you receive. Indirect method – The indirect method presents operating cash flows as a reconciliation from profit to cash flow.
What are the 3 types of cash flows?
There are three cash flow types that companies should track and analyze to determine the liquidity and solvency of the business: cash flow from operating activities, cash flow from investing activities and cash flow from financing activities. All three are included on a company's cash flow statement.
What are the 4 types of cash flows?
Types of Cash FlowCash Flows From Operations (CFO)Cash Flows From Investing (CFI)Cash Flows From Financing (CFF)Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR)Free Cash Flow (FCF)Unlevered Free Cash Flow (UFCF)
How do you calculate NPV with uneven cash flow in Excel?
Let's see how to prepare worksheets in excel to get the PV of uneven cash flows. Now, the excel formula will be =NPV(B1, B3:B6) = 242.16. This will calculate and provide us with the present value of these uneven cash flows, i.e., $242.16.
Solution
As the expected cash flows is uneven (different cash flows in different periods), the payback formula cannot be used to compute payback period of this project. The payback period for this project would be computed by tracking the unrecovered investment year by year.
Conclusion
The project is acceptable because payback period promised by the project is shorter than the maximum desired payback period of the management.
How to calculate payback period for uneven cash flows?
Rather than expecting the same level of return on the investment for every year after the initial investment, the return increases over time. Subtract the projected annual return from the initial investment cost for every year to discover at what point you can expect to break even and turn a profit.
What is a payback period?
A payback period is the amount of time it will take for your company to regain the initial investment put into a project. Calculating the payback period gives you the break-even point or the point at which you’ll no longer be in debt from your investment before you earn any revenue or profit. Ideally, the payback period for an investment is relatively short, so you don’t spend much time in debt.
How long does Henry's Towing and Repair payback last?
Based on their projected cash inflow from the new lift, Henry’s Towing and Repair can expect the payback period to last 2.9 years.
Is a payback period acceptable?
While there’s no specific number to determine whether a payback period is acceptable or not, it’s important to understand that while in the payback period, you’ll likely be in debt and won’t have access to much, if any, additional capital to invest in other projects or pay down any outstanding debts. For this reason, it can be helpful to use the payback period formula comparatively to find the shortest payback period out of several options.
How to calculate payback period?
Calculating the payback period by hand is somewhat complex. Here is a brief outline of the steps, with the exact formulas in the table below (note: if it's hard to read, right-click and view it in a new tab to see full resolution): 1 Enter the initial investment in the Time Zero column/Initial Outlay row. 2 Enter after-tax cash flows (CF) for each year in the Year column/After-Tax Cash Flow row. 3 Calculate cumulative cash flows (CCC) for each year and enter the result in the Year X column/Cumulative Cash Flows row. 4 Add a Fraction Row, which finds the percentage of remaining negative CCC as a proportion of the first positive CCC. 5 Count the number of full years the CCC was negative. 6 Count the fraction year the CCC was negative. 7 Add the last two steps to get the exact amount of time in years it will take to break even.
What is the payback period?
The payback period is the amount of time (usually measured in years) it takes to recover an initial investment outlay, as measured in after-tax cash flows. It is an important calculation used in capital budgeting to help evaluate capital investments .
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using payback period?
The main advantage of the payback period for evaluating projects is its simplicity. A few disadvantages of using this method are that it does not consider the time value of money and it does not assess the risk involved with each project. Microsoft Excel provides an easy way to calculate payback periods.
How long does it take to get your initial investment back?
For example, if a payback period is stated as 2.5 years, it means it will take 2½ years to receive your entire initial investment back.
What is the advantage of the payback period?
The main advantage of the payback period for evaluating projects is its simplicity.
Why is it important to evaluate a project by its payback period?
One primary advantage of evaluating a project or an asset by its payback period is that it is simple and straightforward. Basically, you're asking: "How many years until this investment breaks even?" It is also easy to apply across several projects. When analyzing which project to undertake or invest in, you could consider the project with the shortest payback period.
Can three projects have the same payback period?
For example, three projects can have the same payback period; however, they could have varying flows of cash. Without considering the time value of money, it is difficult or impossible to determine which project is worth considering. Also, the payback period does not assess the riskiness of the project.
What is the payback period method?
The Payback Period method is popular for the assessment of project options and investment alternatives. It is a rather lightweight indicator which – thanks to its simplicity – is easy to understand and communicate. The PbP answers the question how much time it takes until the cumulated net cash flows offset the initial investment.
How many periods can you populate net cash flows?
If you choose this option, you can populate net cash flows for 10 periods. Note that the calculator determines the PbP based on the first period in which the cumulative cash flow turns positive without taking a change to a negative value range in subsequent periods into account.
What is the PBP period?
Do you need to calculate the number of periods an investment requires to reach the break-even point? The Payback Period (PbP or PBP) indicates the period in which a full repayment or amortization of an investment is achieved. This indicator is used not only for the assessment of project options and business cases in project management but also for the assessment of investment alternatives.
What does a PBP of 4.25 mean?
The PbP is calculated on an intra-period basis, e.g. a PbP of 4.25 indicates that the break-even would be achieved at the end of the first quarter in year 4.
Is initial investment considered cash flow?
The amount of the initial investment needs to be filled in as a negative cash flow (i.e. an outflow). Even if the initial investment is not an actual outflow, e.g. if it consists of internal cost or resources, it has to be treated as a cash flow for calculation purposes.
Is cumulative cash flow bi-directional?
Hence, the amount of the net cash flows varies among the periods within a forecast time horizon. Also, the cumulative cash flow can move bi-directional, e. g. starting in a negative value range, switching to a positive value and falling back under 0 over time.
How to calculate payback period?
Steps to Calculate Payback Period 1 The first step in calculating the payback period is determining the initial capital investment and 2 The next step is calculating/estimating the annual expected after-tax net cash flows over the useful life of the investment.
What is a payback period?
Payback period can be defined as period of time required to recover its initial cost and expenses and cost of investment done for project to reach at time where there is no loss no profit i.e. breakeven point.
Why is the payback period important?
The length of the project payback period helps in estimating the project risk. The longer the period, the riskier the project is. This is because the long-term predictions are less reliable.
What does 20% mean in investment?
This 20% represents the rate of return the project or investment gives every year.
When cash flows are not uniform over the use full life of the asset, then the cumulative cash flow from operations must be?
When cash flows are NOT uniform over the use full life of the asset, then the cumulative cash flow from operations must be calculated for each year. In this case, the payback period shall be the corresponding period when cumulative cash flows are equal to the initial cash outlay.
Does depreciation add up to cash inflow?
While calculating cash inflow, generally, depreciation is added back as it does not result in cash out flow.

What Is A Payback period?
Reasons For Calculating A Payback Period
- Most commonly, companies calculate the payback period for capital projects. This type of project is usually defined as an investment in an asset that will take more than one year to acquire. Many companies track expenditures for investments that will take less than a year to reach the break-even point differently than long-term capital projects. Knowing the general time frame of a proje…
Calculating The Payback Period
- You can calculate the payback period using several different methods. Most businesses prefer to use a simple metric that offers an approximation rather than a more complex formula that requires the use of software. The simple formula often provides enough information for businesses to make a decision about moving forward with the investment. Use th...
What Is a Payback Period?
- The payback period is the amount of time (usually measured in years) it takes to recover an initi…
The payback period is the amount of time needed to recover an initial investment outlay. - The main advantage of the payback period for evaluating projects is its simplicity.
A few disadvantages of using this method are that it does not consider the time value of money and it does not assess the risk involved with each project.
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Payback Period
- One primary advantage of evaluating a project or an asset by its payback period is that it is strai…
The discounted payback period determines the payback period using the time value of money. - But there are a few important disadvantages that disqualify the payback period from being a pri…
Without considering the time value of money, it is difficult or impossible to determine which project is worth considering. Also, the payback period does not assess the riskiness of the project. Projecting a break-even time in years means little if the after-tax cash flow estimates do…
How to Calculate the Payback Period in Excel
- Financial modeling best practices require calculations to be transparent and easily auditable. Th…
The easiest method to audit and understand is to have all the data in one table and then break out the calculations line by line. - Calculating the payback period by hand is somewhat complex. Here is a brief outline of the step…
Enter the initial investment in the Time Zero column/Initial Outlay row.
What Is the Formula for Payback Period in Excel?
- Calculating the payback period in Excel is the simplest when the annual cash flows are the same for each year. First, input the initial investment into a cell (e.g., A3). Then, enter the annual cash flow into another (e.g., A4). To calculate the payback period, enter the following formula in an empty cell: "=A3/A4" as the payback period is calculated by dividing the initial investment by the …
How Do I Calculate a Discounted Payback Period in Excel?
- The discounted payback period is the number of years it takes to pay back the initial investment …
To calculate the cumulative cash flow balance, add the present value of cash flows to the previous year's balance. The cash flow balance in year zero is negative as it marks the initial outlay of capital. Therefore, the cumulative cash flow balance in year 1 equals the negative bala…
How Do You Calculate Payback Period?
- The payback period is calculated by dividing the initial capital outlay of an investment by the annual cash flow.