Merchant portfolio valuation calculator

How the calculator works

Portfolio buyers price a book of merchant residuals as a multiple of its net monthly residual, and the multiple moves with attrition more than with anything else. The calculator uses the ranges portfolio brokers and buyers published in 2026, not our opinion of what a book should fetch.

The bands and the sub-ISO discount of 15% to 30% follow the 2026 valuation guide published by the broker 733Park. The buyer CardChamp quotes 30 to 36 times for ISO-level books with low attrition and 15 to 30 times for agent-level books, which is why an individual agent's book should read the low end of any range here. Both were read on September 28, 2026. Multiples change with interest rates and buyer appetite, so treat the output as a starting point for a conversation, not a price.

Keep or sell

The second table is the part most valuation calculators leave out. A sale converts three to four years of residual into cash today and removes the attrition risk. Keeping the book pays more over five years if attrition stays where it is. The calculator adds up what the residual pays over 36 and 60 months with attrition compounding monthly, and counts the months of kept residual it takes to match a mid-range sale. On the opening example that is four years, which is the whole trade in one number: cash now against the fifth year onward.

Where the inputs come from

• Net monthly residual is your house figure after agent splits and overrides, averaged over the last three months. If you only know Total Profit from the processor, subtract what you pay agents. The arithmetic is in How to calculate ISO residuals.
• Annual attrition is the share of monthly residual you lost over the last twelve months to merchants that closed or left, before counting new accounts. Count residual dollars, not merchants: losing ten small accounts matters less than losing one large one. How to spot it early is in Merchant attrition warning signs.
• Share from your top ten merchants is a concentration measure. Above about a third, a buyer will price the risk of losing one of them and may hold back part of the price. See Merchant portfolio concentration.
• Processor relationshipmatters because a buyer is buying the right to the residual, and a sub-ISO's right runs through someone else's agreement. Check whether yours can be assigned before you talk to anyone.

Before you talk to a buyer

1. Know your own attrition and concentrationbefore the buyer works them out for you. The buyer's diligence will produce these numbers whether you have them or not, and the side that has them first sets the price.
2. Have twelve clean months of statements.Every merchant, every month, tied back to the processor's reports. A book that cannot be verified is priced as if the worst is true.
3. Fix attrition before selling, not during. Moving from 14% to 10% moves the band, and the band is worth more than any negotiation.
4. Get more than one bid. A competitive process is usually worth several turns on the multiple.

SplitRun keeps every month of residuals in one place, calculates attrition and concentration from your real processor reports, and produces the per-agent statements a buyer will ask for. If you are a year or two from a sale, that history is the most valuable thing you can start building today.

Frequently asked questions

How much is a merchant portfolio worth? Buyers price a merchant portfolio as a multiple of its net monthly residual. In 2026 published ranges run from about 26 times monthly residual for a book with high attrition to 46 times for a book with attrition under 7%, a direct processor agreement and active production. A $10,000 a month book in the middle of that range is worth roughly $360,000 to $420,000.

What multiple do residual buyers pay? Broker and buyer guides published in 2026 quote 40 to 46 times monthly residual for premium books, 36 to 42 for solid ones, 30 to 36 for average, and 26 to 30 where attrition is high. Agent-level books and sub-ISO books trade lower, with sub-ISO discounts of 15% to 30% because the residual depends on another party's processor agreement.

What is net monthly residual? What the office actually keeps each month after paying agent splits, overrides and any referral fees. Buyers use a trailing three-month average to smooth seasonality. A residual figure before agent splits overstates the value, because the buyer inherits those obligations.

What lowers the value of a residual portfolio? Attrition first, then concentration in a few merchants, a sub-ISO relationship rather than a direct one, a processor agreement that cannot be assigned, high-risk verticals, and a book that has stopped boarding new merchants. Missing or messy records lower it too, because a buyer cannot verify what they are buying.

Should I sell my merchant portfolio or keep it? A sale pays three to four years of residual up front with no attrition risk. Keeping the book pays more over five years if attrition stays low, and nothing extra if it does not. The calculator shows both so you can compare the sale range with what the book pays over three and five years at your attrition rate.

Is this calculator free? Yes. It runs in your browser, nothing you type is sent anywhere, and no sign-up is needed. It gives an indicative range from published multiples, not a valuation. A buyer will do their own diligence.