Owner tools
Owner Pay Calculator
How much can I pay myself? Enter your distributable cash, the reserve you want to keep and your monthly burn. See the amount you can safely take now, what to retain, and how the salary versus dividend split compares. Built for owners of SMEs and startups.
How much can I take?
Enter your numbers. The safe amount updates live. Add your email to unlock the full breakdown, the salary versus dividend trade off and the guidance for owners.
Cash you could pay out today, after provisioning for tax and after setting aside what you owe suppliers and the tax authority.
Average monthly operating cash outflow: payroll, rent, suppliers, everything the business spends to keep running.
The buffer you want to leave in the business. Three to six months is a common starting point for SMEs and startups.
The rest is taken as dividends. Salary is usually deductible and builds social coverage; dividends are often taxed more lightly but carry no coverage. Move the figure to compare.
Safe to take now
20 000 €
There is room, but not much. Take it in stages and watch the reserve.
Reserve to retain: 100 000 €.
Get your full owner pay breakdown
Enter your email to unlock the salary versus dividend split, the reserve math and the guidance for owners.
How this is calculated
The reserve to retain is your monthly burn multiplied by the months of cover you want to keep. The safe amount to take now is the distributable cash minus that reserve, floored at zero. We then split that amount by your salary percentage to show the salary and dividend portions, and report how many months of burn the remaining cash still covers.
Reserve = Burn × Months · Safe = max(0, Cash − Reserve) · Salary = Safe × split% · Dividends = Safe − Salary
Indicative estimate only, not tax, legal or financial advice. The salary versus dividend treatment is generic and France flavored; actual rules, rates and social charges vary by country, structure and year, and dividends require sufficient distributable reserves under company law. Always confirm with your accountant or advisor before paying yourself.
When to use it
A quick gut check before you move money out of the company.
Pay yourself with confidence
See in seconds whether the business can fund a distribution without putting operations at risk.
Frame the salary mix
Compare how the same amount looks taken as salary versus dividends before you decide the split.
Protect the reserve
Keep an explicit buffer in months of burn so a good quarter does not leave you short in a bad one.
Go deeper
Fractional CFO
Set a sustainable owner pay policy, cash reserve and distribution rhythm with a senior finance partner, for SMEs and startups.
See fractional CFOHow much cash can I distribute?
The thinking behind the numbers: how to size a reserve, read distributable profit and decide what is safe to take out.
Read the articleFrequently asked questions
Want a sustainable owner pay policy?
We help owners of SMEs and startups set the right balance between salary, dividends and reinvestment, with a cash reserve that protects the business. Fractional CFO support, sized to where you are.