OPEX: Operating Expenses

OPEX (Operating Expenses) measures your fixed operating costs—salaries, rent, software, insurance, and other overhead expenses.

Formula

OPEX = SUM ( User-defined operating expense entries )

Formula Components

Metric	Definition
OPEX Entries	User-configured operating costs in Cost Settings

Metadata
Type	Currency
Data Source	Upstack Costs
Aggregation	Sum

Example

Your Shopify store has $25,000 in monthly operating expenses.

Component	Amount	Notes
Salaries	$15,000	Team payroll
Office/Rent	$3,000	Workspace costs
Software	$2,000	Tools and SaaS
Insurance	$1,000	Business coverage
Other	$4,000	Miscellaneous
Total OPEX	$25,000	Monthly total

How It Works

OPEX is configured in Cost Settings under “Fixed Costs.” These are your operating overhead costs that don’t scale directly with orders. OPEX is deducted at the CM4 level to calculate true operating profit.

When to Use

Scenario	Action
Tracking overhead	Monitor fixed cost structure
CM4 calculation	OPEX reduces CM3 to CM4
Break-even analysis	Know OPEX to calculate break-even orders
Profitability planning	Manage OPEX to improve margins

Metric	Relationship
CM4	Operating profit after OPEX
Agency Fees	Agency costs also at CM4 level
CM3	Contribution margin before OPEX

See all COGS metrics →