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Marketing Budget Calculator

Start from revenue and a percentage benchmark, then allocate across paid, content, events, brand, and tools. Percentages always sum to 100.

Free toolsUnit EconomicsReviewed September 2026

Revenue and budget share

Use the forecast for the year you are budgeting, not last year's actual.

Common reference points

Total marketing budget

–

Annual revenue × budget share

Monthly budget
–
Total ÷ 12
Largest line
–
From the allocation below

Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere. Last reviewed September 2026.

Channel allocation

Channel Share Annual Monthly
Search, social, display, sponsorships – –
Writers, production, organic search – –
Conferences, field marketing, hosted events – –
Campaign creative, design, brand research – –
Martech, analytics, data platforms – –
Contractors, agency retainers, in-house headcount – –
Total – – –

Edit the percentages to reshape the split. Dollar figures update as you type.

Sizing a budget from revenue, and where the presets come from

A budget expressed as a share of revenue is a starting point, not an answer. The share companies spend varies widely by stage and category: a bootstrapped services firm and a venture-backed consumer app can both be run well at very different percentages. The presets here, 5, 8, 11, and 15 percent, are reference points that come up often in CMO surveys and planning conversations. Treat them as places to start the argument, not benchmarks to be measured against.

The more useful discipline is the split. Once a total exists, the question becomes what share goes to paid media, which stops working the day you stop paying, versus content, brand, and tools, which compound. The default allocation leans toward paid because most growth-stage plans do, but it is deliberately editable. A company that already has strong organic demand should move share out of paid; one entering a new market may need more in brand and events than the defaults suggest.

Two things the percentage hides. First, headcount: if in-house salaries sit inside the marketing budget, they can consume a third or more of it before a single campaign runs, so decide up front whether the team line is inside or outside the number. Second, timing: a 12 percent budget spent evenly is a different plan from one front-loaded into a launch quarter. Build the split, then build the calendar.

Formulas

Total budget
= Annual revenue × Budget share
Monthly budget
= Total budget ÷ 12
Channel budget
= Total budget × Channel share
Channel shares
Should sum to 100%

Frequently asked questions

What percentage of revenue should go to marketing?

There is no single right answer, and the range in practice is wide. Mature or relationship-led businesses often sit below 5%. Established companies growing steadily are frequently in the mid single digits. Companies investing in growth, entering new markets, or in consumer categories where brand does much of the selling commonly spend in the low to mid teens, and launch-stage or venture-backed companies can go well beyond that. Start from your stage and growth target, not from an industry average.

Should salaries be included in the marketing budget?

Decide explicitly, because it changes the number a lot. Some companies quote a marketing budget that covers programmes only, with headcount held in a separate people budget. Others include salaries, and in those companies the team line can consume a third or more of the total before a campaign runs. Neither is wrong, but a 10% budget that includes headcount and a 10% budget that does not are not comparable. State which one you mean whenever you share the figure.

How should I split the marketing budget across channels?

Start from where demand already comes from and where it needs to come from next. Businesses with strong organic and referral demand can move share out of paid media and into content, brand, and tools that compound. Businesses entering a new market or category usually need more in brand and events than a steady-state plan does. The default split above is a common growth-stage shape, weighted to paid media. Treat it as a starting position to argue with, not a recommendation.

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