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Rental Cash Flow Calculator
Build a complete monthly cash flow for a rental property — itemized operating expenses, vacancy, property management, and mortgage payment in one place.
Income
Operating expenses
Financing
Monthly cash flow
$241
Annual cash flow
$2,894
Monthly NOI
$1,674
Annual NOI
$20,085
Cash flow breakdown
Effective monthly income
$2,591
Vacancy loss
$159
Total monthly expenses
$917
Includes a management fee of $207
Monthly debt service
$1,433
Cash flow equals effective income minus operating expenses and debt service. The break-even rent is the rent that would push monthly cash flow to zero given the current expenses, vacancy assumption, and loan payment.
Break-even monthly rent
$2,371
EveryCalc calculators are designed for fast, practical estimates with transparent inputs and no required account. We use plain formulas, visible assumptions, and related tools so visitors can check the result from more than one angle.
Results are informational only. For financial, tax, legal, medical, construction, or other high-impact decisions, verify the output against primary sources or a qualified professional.
Learn more about our review process on the EveryCalc methodology page.
Calculation notes and example
Rental cash flow formula used here
Effective monthly income equals rent plus other income minus the vacancy allowance. The management percentage is applied to that effective income, then taxes, insurance, HOA dues, repairs, capital reserves, utilities, and other owner-paid costs are deducted to estimate monthly NOI. Mortgage principal and interest are calculated separately and subtracted after NOI. That separation matters: NOI measures the property's operations before financing, while cash flow shows the dollars left after debt service.
Itemized rental cash flow example
With $2,650 of rent, $100 of other income, and 6% vacancy, effective monthly income is $2,591. If itemized operating costs including an 8% management fee total about $917, monthly NOI is about $1,674. A $210,000 loan at 7.25% over 30 years adds roughly $1,433 of monthly debt service, leaving modeled cash flow near $241 per month before income tax. That thin margin should be tested against a vacancy spike and an unexpected repair.
Build a more durable rental estimate
- Convert annual tax and insurance bills to monthly amounts and use post-sale estimates when a purchase could trigger reassessment or a coverage change.
- Keep routine maintenance and capital-replacement reserves separate so a roof, HVAC system, or turnover does not disappear from the underwriting.
- Run at least three cases: current rent, market rent after realistic turnover costs, and a stress case with higher vacancy and expenses.
Useful companion tools: Rental Property Calculator, Cap Rate Calculator, Cash-on-Cash Return Calculator, and DSCR Calculator.
How to interpret the rental cash flow result
Best use
Use the result as a planning number for comparing payments, rates, returns, tax reserves, or cash-flow choices before you request a quote or make a commitment.
Cross-check
Compare the answer with the contract, lender estimate, tax form, brokerage statement, payroll record, or invoice that will control the real-world outcome.
Watch for
Do not rely on a single optimistic rate, return, or fee assumption. Money pages work best when you run low, base, and high cases and keep professional advice separate from the estimate.
This page belongs to the Finance calculator library, so the answer should be read in the context of the decision you are modeling rather than as a universal rule.
Before relying on this rental cash flow estimate
Most calculator mistakes come from the inputs, not the arithmetic. Use this short audit before you reuse the answer in a spreadsheet, quote, application, or important conversation.
Confirm source numbers
Match balances, rates, fees, taxes, income, and payment dates against the lender quote, payroll record, tax form, statement, invoice, or contract.
Separate cash flow from total cost
A lower monthly payment can still cost more over time if fees, interest, taxes, or a longer term are hidden in the structure.
Run conservative cases
Test at least one higher-cost or lower-return case before using the output for a purchase, refinance, investment, loan, or tax decision.
Rerun this page when the rate, price, term, fee, tax rule, income, expense, or expected holding period changes.
Sources used for this calculator
These primary or official references help define the rules, terminology, safety checks, or source documents behind this estimate. Source links were checked in July 2026. They do not turn the calculator output into a quote, appraisal, tax determination, or professional opinion.
- Publication 527: Residential Rental Property
Internal Revenue Service
Primary federal reference for rental income, operating expenses, depreciation, and reporting; calculator cash flow is not taxable income.
How to Use
- Enter monthly rent, any other income, and a vacancy rate that reflects the local market.
- Add itemized expenses for taxes, insurance, HOA, repairs, capex reserves, owner-paid utilities, and any other recurring costs.
- Set a property management fee as a percent of effective gross income — leave it at zero if you self-manage.
- Add the loan amount, interest rate, and term to capture the monthly debt service.
- Review monthly cash flow, annual cash flow, NOI, and the break-even rent that drives cash flow to zero.
Frequently Asked Questions
What expenses should I include?
Include every recurring cost the owner pays — taxes, insurance, HOA, maintenance, capex reserves, owner-paid utilities, and management fees. Mortgage principal and interest are tracked separately as debt service.
Why budget for capex separately from maintenance?
Maintenance covers small repairs that keep the unit running. Capex reserves fund the big-ticket replacements like roofs, HVAC, and water heaters. Combining them tends to under-reserve for the larger items that hit every several years.
What is a reasonable vacancy assumption?
Many investors model 5–10% vacancy depending on tenant turnover, market softness, and property type. Even in tight markets, modeling some vacancy keeps the analysis grounded.
How is property management calculated here?
The fee is applied to effective gross income — gross rent minus vacancy plus other income. That mirrors how most third-party property managers actually charge.
What is break-even rent?
Break-even rent is the monthly rent that would push cash flow to exactly zero given the expenses, vacancy assumption, management fee, and debt service entered. Comparing break-even rent with current market rent is a fast resilience check.
Related Calculators
Rent Roll Calculator
Build a unit-by-unit rent roll so effective gross income, not gross potential, feeds into this cash flow.
Cash-on-Cash Return Calculator
Translate annual cash flow into a return on the cash actually invested.
Vacancy Rate Calculator
Size physical and economic vacancy before plugging it into this monthly cash flow.
Property Management Fee Calculator
See the true all-in cost of a property manager so the management fee here is accurate.
Property Tax Calculator
Size the annual property tax line accurately before dropping it into monthly expenses.
DSCR Calculator
Check whether NOI covers debt service by the lender minimum on an investor loan.
Rental Property Calculator
Use a faster top-line rental property snapshot if the detail here is more than you need.
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