Definition
Fully-loaded CAC extends paid CAC by including additional acquisition costs beyond paid media-commonly sales & marketing salaries, commissions, and tooling-so the metric reflects the true cost to acquire a customer for planning and unit economics.
Formula
Fully-loaded CAC = total acquisition costs / new paying customers acquired (same period)
Common mistakes
- Mixing paid-only CAC and fully-loaded CAC without labeling and consistency.
- Including costs that aren't acquisition-related (COGS, R&D) without a clear allocation method.
- Comparing fully-loaded CAC to revenue-only payback or revenue LTV (use gross profit where appropriate).
Why this matters
This term matters because small changes compound in SaaS metrics. Use consistent definitions by cohort and segment so you can diagnose retention, payback, and growth quality.
Practical checklist
- Write a 1-line definition for "Fully-loaded CAC" that your team will use consistently.
- Keep the time window consistent (weekly/monthly/quarterly) when comparing trends.
- Segment results (channel/plan/cohort) before drawing big conclusions from blended averages.
- Use a calculator that references this term (e.g., Fully-loaded CAC Calculator) to sanity-check assumptions.
- Read the related guide (e.g., Fully-loaded CAC: definition, formula, and what to include) for context and common pitfalls.
Where to use this on MetricKit
Calculators
- Fully-loaded CAC Calculator: Calculate fully-loaded CAC by including paid spend plus sales & marketing costs (salaries, tools, and other acquisition costs).
- CAC Calculator: Calculate Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) from total acquisition spend and new customers.
- CAC Payback Period Calculator: Estimate how many months it takes to recover CAC (months to recover CAC) using gross profit.
Guides
- Fully-loaded CAC: definition, formula, and what to include: A practical guide to fully-loaded CAC: how it differs from paid CAC, what to include, and how to keep the definition consistent for planning.
- CAC: how to calculate Customer Acquisition Cost (formula + examples): Customer acquisition cost (CAC) explained: formula, what to include, and practical CAC metrics (paid vs fully-loaded) you can trust.
- CAC Payback Period (Months to Recover CAC): definition, formula, benchmarks: Learn how to calculate CAC payback (months to recover CAC) using gross profit, plus benchmarks and levers to improve it.
- CAC vs CPA: definitions, formulas, and when to use each: CAC vs CPA explained: what each metric measures, how to calculate them, and how to translate CPA into CAC for planning.
- Unit economics hub: CAC, LTV, payback, and runway (a practical stack): A practical hub for unit economics: CAC, fully-loaded CAC, LTV, payback, margin impacts, burn multiple, and runway planning.