Example 1: a winning EURUSD buy
- Buy 0.50 lots of EURUSD, entry 1.0850, exit 1.0900.
- Pips: (1.0900 - 1.0850) / 0.0001 = 50.0 pips.
- Pip value for 0.50 lots: $5.0000.
- Profit: 50.0 pips x $5.0000 = $250.00.
Free forex calculator
Forex Profit and Loss Calculator
Enter the pair, your direction, the lot size and your entry and exit prices to see the result of a trade in pips and in US dollars. It works for a trade you have closed, and for a plan you have not placed yet.
- Profit
- $500.00
- Pips
- 50.0
- Pip value for this position
- $10.0000
- Price move
- 0.461%
This version is for USD accounts only, so every result is in US dollars. If your account is in another currency, treat the numbers as a guide and convert them yourself.
The prices pre-filled in the form are examples, not live quotes. Replace them with the current price from your trading platform before you use a result.
How it works
The calculator first measures the price move in pips. For a buy, the move is the exit price minus the entry price. For a sell it is the entry price minus the exit price, so a falling price is a gain. That difference is divided by the pip size, 0.0001 on most pairs and 0.01 on JPY pairs.
Then it multiplies the pips by the pip value of your position in dollars. A positive result is a profit and a negative result is a loss. On pairs where the dollar is the base currency, such as USDJPY, the calculator converts at the exit price, which is the rate in effect when the result is realised.
- Pips (buy) = (exit price - entry price) / pip size. Pips (sell) = (entry price - exit price) / pip size
- Profit or loss in USD = pips x pip value of the position in USD
- Pip value of the position = lots x pip value of one standard lot
Two worked examples
One example is a gain and the other a loss. Both come from the same function as the calculator above.
Example 2: a losing USDJPY sell
- Sell 1.00 lots of USDJPY, entry 150.00, exit 150.50.
- Pips: (150.00 - 150.50) / 0.01 = -50.0 pips.
- Pip value for 1.00 lots at the exit price 150.50: $6.6445.
- Loss: -50.0 pips x $6.6445 = -$332.23.
Reading the result
A positive number means the price moved in your favour (up for a buy, down for a sell); a negative number means it moved against you. Because the result is in dollars at your lot size, you can compare it with the amount you meant to risk. If you planned to risk a certain amount and the loss is larger, either the stop-loss moved, the position was larger than planned, or the market moved through your stop.
The price move percentage shown beside the result is the change in price compared with the entry price. It is a signed number in the direction of your trade: positive when the market moved your way and negative when it moved against you.
What the calculator leaves out
Real results also include costs. Spread is the gap between the buy and sell price, and some accounts add a commission per lot. Holding a trade overnight can add or subtract a swap amount. None of these are in the calculator, so your platform result may differ slightly. Use this tool to understand the arithmetic and to plan, and use your platform statement for the actual figure.
Planning a trade before you place it
You can fill in the entry, a stop-loss price as the exit, and see the loss in dollars. Do it again with a target price as the exit to see the gain. Comparing the two shows the reward-to-risk ratio of the plan in real money, which is more useful than the pips alone because pips mean different amounts at different lot sizes.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate profit and loss on a forex trade?
Find the price move in pips between entry and exit, in the direction of your trade, then multiply by the pip value of your position. A buy gains when the price rises, a sell gains when it falls.
Why is the result negative?
A negative result is a loss. For a buy the exit price was below the entry, and for a sell the exit price was above it.
Does the calculator include spread, commission and swap?
No. It shows the pure price-move result. Spread, commission and swap are charged by your broker and will change the final figure on your statement.
Why does a USDJPY result use the exit price?
USDJPY profit is earned in yen. Converting yen to dollars needs a rate, and the exit price is the rate in effect when the result is realised.
Can I use it before I place a trade?
Yes. Enter your planned entry and a stop-loss or target price as the exit to see the dollar result of each outcome.
More forex calculators
Learn the ideas behind the numbers
A calculator gives you the arithmetic. If you are new to trading, the free forex course explains pips, lots, leverage and risk in plain language, and the free weekly demo League lets you practise on a demo account.
Pipstone is not a broker and gives no financial advice. Trading involves risk of loss.
