Cost Per Acquisition vs. Lifetime Value

Find out what a new client is worth, what each marketing channel costs you to get one, and which channels actually pay for themselves.

Solo practiceGroup practice

1Where should we send your results?

Optional. Add your email and we'll send you a copy of your results when you click Calculate.

Name Email

2What a new client is worth

Use your averages for a typical new client.

Avg sessions attended per new clientAvg collections per sessionNet profit %Profit after all expenses, as a % of revenue.Direct cost per session %Clinician pay plus per-session costs (card fees, etc.) as a % of collections.Per-session costs only (card fees, telehealth, etc.). You don't pay yourself per session.No-show / late-cancel rate% of scheduled sessions missed.No-show fee% of no-show fees actually collectedReferral rate% of clients who refer at least one new client.

3Marketing channels

Add up to five channels. Enter spend and leads for the same period (for example, last month).

Channel name	Spend ($)	Inbound leads	Conversion %	Admin hrs / new client

Avg admin labor cost per hourHourly cost of the staff who answer and schedule inquiries.Target LTV : CPA ratio3 : 1 is a common healthy benchmark.

Include referral value in the ratios

Your results

Blended cost per acquisition

LTV · contribution margin

What a client adds before overhead

LTV · net profit

What a client adds after all overhead

Revenue per client (incl. no-show fees): $0
LTV with referrals (contribution): $0
Blended LTV : CPA (contribution): —
Blended LTV : CPA (net profit): —
Net value per client (contribution): $0
Net value per client (net profit): $0
Payback: client covers their CPA by: —
Max affordable CPA (contribution): $0
Max affordable CPA (net profit): $0

By channel

Ratios use contribution-margin LTV unless noted.

Channel	New clients	CPA	LTV:CPA	Net basis	Payback

See your results

Get a copy of your results

We'll email a summary of these numbers to the address you entered in step 1.

How this is calculated

Revenue per client: Sessions attended × collections per session, plus no-show fees collected. Missed sessions = attended ÷ (1 − no-show rate) − attended.
Two versions of lifetime value: Contribution margin LTV = revenue × (1 − direct cost %). This is what a new client actually adds, because rent, admin salaries and software don't go up when one more client walks in. Use it to decide whether marketing is worth it. Net profit LTV = revenue × net profit %. It's a stricter test: whether the client also carries their full share of overhead.
Cost per acquisition (CPA): Spend ÷ (leads × conversion rate), plus admin hours to convert each new client × admin labor rate. Blended CPA combines every channel: total spend plus total admin cost, ÷ total new clients.
LTV : CPA ratio: Lifetime value ÷ CPA. At 3 : 1 or better the channel is healthy; 1 to 3 is thin; below 1 the channel costs more than the client brings in.
Payback: The session number at which the client's contribution margin has covered what it cost to get them: CPA ÷ (collections per session × contribution margin).
Referral value: LTV × (1 + referral rate). This counts only first-generation referrals to stay conservative. It's left out of the ratios unless you tick the box.
Max affordable CPA: LTV ÷ your target ratio: the most you can pay for a new client and still hit that ratio.

These figures are planning estimates, not tax, legal, accounting or investment advice.