What percentage of peak-season revenue should a seasonal business set aside for off-season expenses?

The most common guidance is 25 to 40 percent of peak-season revenue, but your actual number depends on your specific fixed costs and how long your slow season lasts. A landscaper in Central Florida with a mild winter slowdown needs a different reserve than a business that completely shuts down for four months.

Here’s how to find your number. Add up every fixed cost you pay regardless of revenue. Rent, insurance premiums, loan payments, base payroll for any year-round staff, software subscriptions, vehicle payments, and utilities. These are the bills that don’t care whether customers are coming in or not. Total those for the entire off-season period.

Now divide that total by your expected peak-season revenue. That gives you the minimum percentage you need to set aside from every dollar earned during busy months. If your off-season fixed costs total $30,000 and you expect $100,000 in peak-season revenue, you need to save at least 30 percent. Add a buffer for unexpected expenses and you’re looking closer to 35 percent.

The tricky part is that most seasonal business owners don’t think about this when peak season is in full swing. Money is flowing in, bills are getting paid easily, and it feels like things are going well. Then the slow months hit and suddenly you’re scrambling to cover rent and insurance with a fraction of the income. This is one of the most common reasons seasonal businesses in Orlando run into cash problems.

A separate savings account specifically for off-season reserves makes this much easier to manage. Set up an automatic transfer every time revenue hits your main account. Treat it like a bill that has to get paid first. If the money stays in your operating account, it tends to get spent.

For a more precise approach, build a 13-week cash flow forecast that maps out expected income and expenses week by week through your slow season. This shows you exactly when cash gets tight and how much you need to have saved before that point arrives. Budgeting and cash flow forecasting turns this from a rough guess into an actual plan with real numbers behind it.

One thing that catches seasonal business owners off guard is variable costs that don’t completely disappear in the off-season. You might reduce staff but still keep a few key employees. Marketing might slow down but shouldn’t stop entirely if you want to hit the ground running when business picks back up. Factor these partial costs into your calculation, not just the pure fixed expenses.

If you haven’t been tracking your finances closely enough to know your exact fixed costs, that’s the first problem to solve. Working with bookkeepers in Orlando who understand seasonal business patterns means you’ll have the data you need to calculate the right savings rate instead of guessing and hoping it works out.