Problem 8-1 Calculating Payback [LO 1] Consider the following cash flows: Year Cash Flow 0 –$6,800 1 1,950 2 4,100 3 1,750 4 1,450

Problem 8-1 Calculating Payback [LO 1]

Consider the following cash flows:

Year	Cash Flow
0	–$6,800
1	1,950
2	4,100
3	1,750
4	1,450

Required:

What is the payback period for the above set of cash flows? (Do not round intermediate calculations. Round your answer to 2 decimal places (e.g., 32.16).)

Payback period

years

Explanation:

To calculate the payback period, we need to find the time the project needs to recover its initial investment. After two years, the project has created:

$1,950 + 4,100 = $6,050

in cash flows. The project still needs to create another:

$6,800 – 6,050 = $750

in cash flows. During the third year, the cash flows from the project will be $1,750. So, the payback period will be 2 years, plus what we still need to make divided by what we will make during the third year. The payback period is:

Payback = 2 + ($750 / $1,750)

Payback = 2.43 years