Profit & Loss Calculator

Profit & Loss Calculator | The Payout Report Academy
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Profit & Loss Calculator

Enter your instrument, lot size, entry and exit prices — instantly calculate your exact P&L in dollars before or after any trade.

Trade Details

Enter your instrument, size and prices

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Ready to Calculate

Select your instrument, enter entry and exit prices, set your lot size and press Calculate to see your exact P&L.

Understanding P&L

How P&L is Calculated

Profit and Loss in forex is not calculated like stocks. The pip-based system means your P&L depends on your lot size, the instrument, and the pip value — not just the price difference. Here’s exactly how it works.

1

Find the Price Move

P&L starts with the price difference between your entry and exit. For a BUY, profit means exit is higher. For a SELL, profit means exit is lower. The raw difference is then converted to pips.

2

Convert to Pips

Divide the price move by the pip size for that instrument. EUR/USD pip = 0.0001, so a move from 1.08500 to 1.09100 = 0.006 ÷ 0.0001 = 60 pips. Gold pip = 0.01, so $5 move = 500 pips.

3

Multiply by Pip Value

Pip value at your lot size × number of pips = gross P&L. For EUR/USD at 1 standard lot: pip value = $10, so 60 pips × $10 = $600 gross profit.

4

Subtract Commission

Your broker charges commission or spread on every trade. Subtract this from the gross P&L to get your net P&L — the actual amount added to or removed from your account balance.

📐 Core P&L Formulas

Price Move = |Exit Price − Entry Price| Pips = Price Move ÷ Pip Size Pip Value = Pip Size × Contract Size × Lots Gross P&L = Pips × Pip Value Net P&L = Gross P&L − Commission

For a BUY trade, profit requires Exit > Entry. For a SELL trade, profit requires Exit < Entry. The direction determines whether the price move is positive or negative.

📐 BUY Trade Example

Instrument: EUR/USD Direction: BUY (Long) Entry: 1.08500 Exit: 1.09100 Lots: 1.00 Standard Price Move = 1.09100 − 1.08500 = 0.006 Pips = 0.006 ÷ 0.0001 = 60 pips Pip Value = $10 per pip = $10 Gross P&L = 60 × $10 = +$600

The trade moved 60 pips in your favour. At a standard lot on EUR/USD where each pip = $10, the gross profit is $600 before commission.

📐 SELL Trade Example

Instrument: GBP/JPY Direction: SELL (Short) Entry: 192.500 Exit: 191.700 Lots: 0.50 Mini Price Move = 192.500 − 191.700 = 0.800 Pips = 0.800 ÷ 0.01 = 80 pips Pip Value = ~$7.50/lot × 0.5 = ~$3.75 Gross P&L = 80 × $3.75 = +$300

SELL trades profit when price moves DOWN. GBP/JPY uses a variable pip value because it’s a cross pair involving JPY — the exact value depends on the current USD/JPY rate.

📐 Gold (XAU/USD) Example

Instrument: XAU/USD (Gold) Direction: BUY Entry: 2,350.00 Exit: 2,365.00 Lots: 1.00 Price Move = 2365 − 2350 = $15.00 Pips = 15.00 ÷ 0.01 = 1,500 pips Pip Value = $1 per pip = $1.00 Gross P&L = 1,500 × $1 = +$1,500

Gold has a contract size of 100 troy oz and a pip size of $0.01. Each $1 price move = 100 pips = $100 profit or loss per standard lot.

📚 P&L Glossary

Every term you need to understand profit and loss calculations

Gross P&L
Your profit or loss before deducting broker fees, spread costs or commissions. The raw result of the price move × lot size × pip value.
Net P&L
Gross P&L minus all costs — commission, swap/overnight fees if held overnight. The actual amount credited or debited from your account balance.
Pip Value
Dollar value of 1 pip at your current lot size. EUR/USD standard lot = $10/pip. Scales linearly: 0.50 lots = $5/pip, 0.10 lots = $1/pip.
Unrealised P&L
P&L on an open position — the current profit or loss if you were to close right now. Also called floating P&L. It changes with every tick.
Realised P&L
P&L that has been locked in by closing a position. Once realised, it permanently changes your account balance and cannot be recovered by the market moving back.
Commission
A fixed fee charged by the broker per lot traded. Common structures: $3.50–$7 per round turn per standard lot. Some brokers use spread-only pricing instead.
Swap / Rollover
Interest charged or earned for holding a position overnight. Based on the interest rate differential between the two currencies. Can be positive or negative depending on direction.
Long / BUY
Buying the base currency expecting it to rise. Profit when exit price is above entry. Maximum loss occurs when price moves to zero (theoretical). Capped by your stop loss in practice.
Short / SELL
Selling the base currency expecting it to fall. Profit when exit price is below entry. Unlimited theoretical loss (price has no ceiling). Always use a stop loss on short trades.
P&L Scenarios

P&L at Different Pip Moves

See the dollar impact of different pip move sizes across the most common instruments. All values shown for 1 standard lot on a USD account — scale for mini (÷10) and micro (÷100).

💵 P&L by Instrument & Pip Move

1 Standard Lot · USD Account · No commission

Instrument 10 Pips 20 Pips 50 Pips 100 Pips 200 Pips 500 Pips

📌 Key P&L Facts

What every trader should know

EUR/USD, GBP/USD, AUD/USD, NZD/USD: Fixed at $10/pip per standard lot. Easy to calculate every time.
USD/JPY, USD/CHF, USD/CAD: Variable pip value — divide $10 by the current exchange rate for exact value.
Gold (XAU/USD): Every $1 move = 100 pips = $100 P&L per standard lot. A $10 move = $1,000.
Indices (US30, NAS100): Pip value varies significantly by broker. Verify your broker’s spec before trading.
Crypto: Very small pip values per lot. Volatile moves can mean large P&L swings on larger positions.

⚠️ P&L Mistakes to Avoid

Common errors that distort your calculations

Forgetting commission: A $600 gross profit becomes $588 after a $12 round-trip commission. Always account for broker costs.
Ignoring swap fees: Holding positions overnight incurs swap charges. On some pairs these are significant — especially exotic pairs.
Using wrong pip size: JPY pairs use 0.01 as the pip, not 0.0001. Using the wrong pip size will give calculations 10× off.
Confusing spread with commission: Some brokers have zero commission but widen the spread. That spread cost is still a real P&L reduction — factor it in.