Menu
Transport & delivery / Question & answer

Freight brokerage Early Payment Discount Cost: worked example

Compare a payment discount with the time it accelerates receipt.

Cobalt ribbon, chrome ring and orange sphere in architectural light
Freight brokerage / shipment economics
Answer

With the illustrative inputs below, the result is 37.2449 % annualized.

Try this with your own numbers

Formula and worked example

Simple annualized discount cost = discount / (1 − discount) × 365 / days accelerated × 100

Example figures
InputExample
Discount offered2 %
Discount payment day10 days
Normal payment day30 days
Calculated result37.2449 % annualized

Choose reliable inputs

Compare route time, vehicle cost, delivery density and collection timing. For this freight brokerage calculation, use completed route logs, fuel receipts and delivery records and a consistent definition of one shipment.

  • Carrier charges: include the portion belonging to this shipment or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
  • Admin time: include the portion belonging to this shipment or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
  • Claim handling: include the portion belonging to this shipment or reporting period, and record where the value came from.

Use the same currency for every money input. Do not mix weekly costs with monthly revenue, or count the same expense in both an itemised cost and allocated overhead.

Why can a small invoice discount have a high annualized cost?

It buys only a short acceleration in cash receipt. Annualizing that short interval can produce a large percentage.

Simple annualization assumes repeatable terms and is not an APR or loan quote.

Compare a different assumption

What if this input changes?

If discount offered rises by 10%, this example changes by 3.8083 % annualized. This shows the effect of one change; it does not predict what will happen.

Open the calculator, save your baseline, then change the input supported by the least reliable estimate in your records. Compare both scenarios before committing to a price or capacity promise.

More tools and guidance

Find the next calculation
you need.

Browse calculatorsFind your industry
Cobalt ribbon, chrome ring and orange sphere in architectural light

Search AskToBot

Start typing to find a calculator or conversion.