Payback Period Calculator
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The payback period is the time required for an investment to generate enough cash flow to recover its initial cost. It is the simplest capital budgeting metric — shorter is generally better, though it ignores the time value of money.
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Tip: Payback period tells you risk exposure, not profitability. A project with a 2-year payback might return less total profit than one with a 5-year payback — always pair with NPV or IRR.
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Fun Fact
Most businesses require a payback period of under 3 years for capital investments. Longer paybacks are acceptable for strategic or regulatory investments where ROI is secondary.
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