Investing metrics
Cash-on-cash return
The annual pre-tax cash flow a property produces divided by the actual cash you invested in it.
Glossary
Investing metrics
Primary references on this page:
Cash-on-cash return measures how hard your invested money is working. You divide the property’s annual pre-tax cash flow by the total cash you put in — down payment, closing costs, and any upfront repairs — not the full purchase price. A $40,000 investment throwing off $4,000 a year in cash flow is a 10% cash-on-cash return.
Unlike cap rate, it accounts for financing, so using more leverage changes the answer. It reflects your actual out-of-pocket return in a given year, but it ignores appreciation, loan paydown, and tax effects — so read it alongside cap rate and cash flow rather than on its own.
Define the numerator and denominator before dividing
Assume an owner contributes $60,000 for the down payment, $7,000 for closing costs, and $5,000 for immediate work, for $72,000 of cash invested. If the first full year produces $5,400 of pre-tax cash flow after operating costs and debt service, cash-on-cash return is $5,400 divided by $72,000, or 7.5%. The worksheet should state whether reserves and later capital contributions are included.
A smaller down payment can raise this percentage while increasing the loan payment and loss exposure. That does not make leverage free. Compare the return with debt coverage, monthly cash cushion, maturity risk, rate terms, and the amount of capital still needed after closing.
When the simple percentage stops being comparable
A refinance distribution, midyear acquisition, partner contribution, or major capital project changes the capital base. Rather than quietly changing the denominator, show the opening investment, additional contributions, distributions, and calculation policy. For irregular cash flows across multiple years, an internal-rate-of-return analysis may answer a different and more timing-sensitive question.
Small landlords use cash-on-cash return to compare the cash yield of financed scenarios and to review whether actual operations matched underwriting. It is not a complete return, a valuation, or a target that is universally appropriate.