Seasonality Revenue Calculator

Seasonal assets swing between peak and trough. This calculator sizes the swing and reserve need.

Peak monthly revenue

Trough monthly revenue

Fixed monthly expenses

Months below break-even

Reserve requirement

$120,000

Peak-to-trough swing %

63.16%

Monthly trough burn

$20,000

How the math works

Reserve = trough burn × months × 1.5 safety factor.

Lenders underwrite NOI on 12-month trailing with seasonal smoothing. Reserves protect operations during trough even if annual cash flow pencils. Always size reserves before signing seasonal-property debt.

How to Use

Enter peak monthly revenue.
Enter trough monthly revenue.
Enter fixed monthly expenses.
Enter months below break-even.
Read reserve requirement.

Frequently Asked Questions

Seasonal asset types?

STR/vacation rentals (summer/ski season), student housing (academic year), beach retail (summer), ag-adjacent properties (harvest), tax prep office (January-April). All need reserves.

Reserve sizing?

Cover 1.5x trough burn across low-season months. Student housing often sits vacant May-July, requiring 3-month reserve. STR trough depends on market — year-round markets need less.

Smoothing strategies?

Annualize rent collection (upfront payment discount). Multi-use amenity (short-term + long-term). Secondary revenue (parking, events). Reduce fixed costs during trough.

What does competitive benchmarking look like?

Pull 3-5 comparable properties or units in your submarket from CoStar, Yardi, CIM, or your local broker. Normalize by unit type, class, and age. Your outputs should fall within one standard deviation of the comp-set mean. Outliers are either opportunities or warning signs — dig into why. Monthly benchmarking keeps your portfolio on-market and pricing sharp.