Is 30% a good EBITDA?

Asked by: Judd Douglas  |  Last update: March 25, 2025
Score: 4.6/5 (12 votes)

The average EBITDA margin of more than 300 software (systems and applications) companies in the U.S at the start of 2023 was 29%. If your startup has an EBITDA margin of 30% or higher, you're tracking to SaaS industry averages and doing great.

What is the 30% EBITDA rule?

The Interest Limitation Rule (ILR) is intended to limit base erosion using excessive interest deductions. It limits the maximum net interest deduction to 30% of Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, Amortization (EBITDA). Any interest above that amount is not deductible in the current year.

Is a 20% EBITDA good?

A “good” EBITDA margin is industry-specific, however, an EBITDA margin in excess of 10% is perceived positively by most.

What does 30 EBITDA mean?

EBITDA stands for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. The EBITDA margin is a measure of a company's operating profit as a percentage of its revenue. EBITDA margin is calculated by dividing EBITDA by total revenue.

What does 50% EBITDA mean?

EBITDA Margin = EBITDA / Revenue

For example, if a company has an EBITDA of $50 million and a revenue of $100 million, its EBITDA margin is 50%. This means that for every dollar of revenue, the company has 50 cents left after paying for its operating expenses.

Is EBITDA a good reflection of a company's performance?

44 related questions found

Is a 30% EBITDA margin good?

The average EBITDA margin of more than 300 software (systems and applications) companies in the U.S at the start of 2023 was 29%. If your startup has an EBITDA margin of 30% or higher, you're tracking to SaaS industry averages and doing great.

Is a 40% EBITDA good?

Rule Of 40 FAQs

The Rule of 40 states that the sum of a healthy SaaS company's annual recurring revenue growth rate and its EBITDA margin should be equal to or exceed 40%. It is a measure of how well a SaaS balances growth with profitability.

What is a healthy EBITDA?

Generally speaking, a good EBITDA margin for manufacturing businesses falls between 5% and 10%. However, this will vary depending on the specific industry you are manufacturing your products for, and how capital-intensive your operations are.

What is the 20 EBITDA rule?

The other way round: the first million euros in interest is deductible, but after that the amount of deductible interest may not exceed 20% of the profit (more accurately: 20% of the fiscal EBITDA).

What is the 30 EBITDA limitation?

As a result of the TCJA, and prior to 2022, businesses' interest expense deductions had been limited to 30% of earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA). Starting in 2022, interest deductions are limited to 30% of earnings before interest and tax (EBIT).

What is a strong EBITDA percentage?

A good EBITDA margin may fall between 15% and 25%, says Simon Thomas, Managing Director of accountancy firm Ridgefield Consulting. Generally, the higher the EBITDA margin, the greater the profitability and efficiency of a company.

Does EBITDA include owner salary?

The Main Difference Between SDE and EBITDA

SDE – The primary measure of cash flow used to value small businesses and includes the owner's compensation as an adjustment. EBITDA – The primary measure of cash flow used to value mid to large-sized businesses and does not include the owner's salary as an adjustment.

What does EBITDA actually tell you?

EBITDA indicates a company's ability to consistently profit, while net income indicates a company's total earnings. Net income is generally used to identify the value of earnings for every share of the business. It can be calculated using the following formula.

What is the rule of 30 in business?

The “Rule of 30,” popularized by Tee Up Advisors, is a powerful financial benchmark designed to help maturing businesses balance growth and profitability. This rule, an adaptation of the tech industry's Rule of 40, suggests that the sum of a company's growth rate and profit margin should equal or exceed 30%.

What is a bad EBITDA multiple?

While the "healthy" range for EV/EBITDA varies by industry—in 2024, it ranged from about eight to 30, depending on the sector—this ratio provides critical context when analyzing a company's value. 1. Many analysts consider an EV/EBITDA below 10 a strong signal of an undervalued company.

Is EBITDA the same as net profit?

The key difference between EBITDA and net income? EBITDA is net income BEFORE taking out interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization expenses. So EBITDA will almost always be higher than net income.

What is a reasonable EBITDA?

Generally speaking, a higher EBITDA margin signals stronger profitability and cash generation ability. However, reasonable EBITDA margin expectations vary significantly across different industries. For example, technology and consumer retail companies often operate with EBITDA margins between 10-25%.

Why is EBITDA misleading?

The reason these issues matter is that EBITDA removes real expenses that a company must actually spend capital on – e.g. interest expense, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. As a result, using EBITDA as a standalone profitability metric can be misleading, especially for capital-intensive companies.

Is 40% EBITDA margin good?

The “Rule of 40” in SaaS valuations is a rule of thumb used to assess a company's financial health and growth potential. It suggests that the sum of a company's top line year over year growth rate (annual recurring revenue growth percentage) and its EBITDA margin should ideally be at least 40%.

What is a good EBITDA coverage?

The EBITDA coverage ratio is also known as the EBITDA-to-interest coverage ratio, which is a financial ratio that is used to assess a company's financial durability by determining whether it makes enough profit to pay off its interest expenses using pre-tax income. An EBITDA coverage ratio over 10 is considered good.

What is a good EBITDA compared to revenue?

EBITDA margin shows how a company's operational expenses affect costs relative to its revenue. It shows how a company can lower its expenses while maintaining higher income. Although some analysts consider 10% a good EBITDA margin, a good EBITDA margin is relative. It varies based on industry.

What is the 3 3 2 2 2 rule of SaaS?

The rule of thumb for growth rate expectations at a successful SaaS company being managed for aggressive growth is 3, 3, 2, 2, 2: starting from a material baseline (e.g., over $1 million in annual recurring revenue [ARR]), the business needs to triple annual revenues for two consecutive years and then double them for ...

What is Microsoft EBITDA margin?

Microsoft average ebitda margin for 2023 was 49.39%, a 1.19% increase from 2022. Microsoft average ebitda margin for 2022 was 48.81%, a 0.25% increase from 2021. Microsoft average ebitda margin for 2021 was 48.69%, a 4.71% increase from 2020.

How many years of EBITDA is a business worth?

Generally speaking, most businesses will sell for between 6 and 10 times their annual EBITDA depending on factors such as size, industry, competitive landscape, and geographic location.