Iron Condor Calculator: Profit, Loss and Break-Even

Four-leg payoff at expiration

Iron Condor Calculator

Calculate profit or loss, two break-even prices, maximum profit, maximum loss and return on risk for a short iron condor or a long reverse iron condor.

Short seeks a range-bound finish; long seeks a large move.
Currency changes formatting only; no exchange rate is used.
Short strategy buys K1; long strategy sells K1.
Quoted premium for the lowest-strike put.
Short strategy sells K2; long strategy buys K2.
Quoted premium for the higher-strike put.
Short strategy sells K3; long strategy buys K3.
Quoted premium for the lower-strike call.
Short strategy buys K4; long strategy sells K4.
Quoted premium for the highest-strike call.
Scenario price used for all four option payoffs.
Whole positions from 1 to 100,000.
US equity options normally represent 100 shares.
Total opening and closing costs for all four legs.
Used only for the simple annualized return-on-risk estimate.

How the iron condor calculation works

An iron condor combines a put spread and a call spread with the same expiration. The four strikes must be ordered K1 < K2 < K3 < K4. A short iron condor buys the outer options and sells the inner options for a net credit. A long or reverse iron condor sells the outer options and buys the inner options for a net debit.

Entry amount per share: K2 put premium + K3 call premium − K1 put premium − K4 call premium.
Short iron condor maximum profit: entry credit × shares − fees.
Short side losses: (each wing width − credit) × shares + fees.
Long iron condor maximum loss: entry debit × shares + fees.
Long side profits: (each wing width − debit) × shares − fees.

Fees are allocated across all covered shares when calculating the two break-even prices. For a short iron condor, lower break-even is K2 minus net credit per share and upper break-even is K3 plus net credit per share. For a long iron condor, lower break-even is K2 minus total debit per share and upper break-even is K3 plus total debit per share.

Verified short iron condor example

Buy the 90 put for $1, sell the 95 put for $2.50, sell the 105 call for $2.40 and buy the 110 call for $0.90. One 100-share iron condor opens for a $300 gross credit. With $4 in total fees, maximum profit is $296, maximum loss is $204, lower break-even is $92.04 and upper break-even is $107.96. At an expiration price of $100, every option expires without intrinsic value and the net profit is $296.

Verified long or reverse iron condor example

Sell the 90 put for $1, buy the 95 put for $3, buy the 105 call for $3 and sell the 110 call for $1. The gross debit is $400. With $4 in fees, maximum loss is $404, each extreme-side maximum profit is $96, and break-even prices are $90.96 and $109.04. An expiration price of $85 produces the left-side net profit of $96.

Unequal wings and maximum risk

The put and call wing widths do not have to be equal. The calculator reports the outcome at each extreme separately. For a short iron condor, maximum loss is the larger of the two side losses. For a long iron condor, maximum profit is the larger of the two side profits. The validation requires the entry credit or debit to be smaller than both wing widths so the payoff retains the expected limited-risk shape on both sides.

Limits and assumptions

The model assumes all four options share the same underlying, expiration and multiplier and remain open through expiration. Premiums are entered per share. It excludes bid-ask spreads, slippage, taxes, changing margin requirements, dividends, interest, exercise and assignment before expiration, pin risk and broker-specific treatment. The simple annualized return multiplies the one-period return by 365 divided by days; it is not a forecast.

Four-leg option strategies can produce rapid losses and may have complex assignment or buying-power consequences. Confirm contract specifications, fees and expiration procedures with the broker. This educational calculator is not investment, tax or legal advice.

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