How much time off can your trade business actually afford over Christmas?

Your practical guide to taking a break without breaking the bank.

Christmas is the one time tradies want to switch off… but your business doesn’t stop needing cash flow just because you’re at the beach. The key is knowing exactly how much time off you can afford before you put the tools down.

Here’s how to work it out, without the stress, guesswork, or January bill shock.

Know your weekly operating cost (even when you're closed)

Your business has bills that don’t take holidays:

• Vehicle repayments

• Insurance

• Phone + software

• Rent or storage

• Subbie wages (if applicable)

• Super

• ATO payments

• Loan repayments

Add these up to find your weekly baseline cost. If you take two weeks off, multiply that figure by two. That’s your minimum “time off buffer”.

Calculate your average weekly income

Look at the last 3-6 months and work out an average weekly figure. Then ask: How many weeks can you afford to miss before cash flow gets tight?

If your business normally brings in $4,000 a week, but it costs you $2,200 a week to operate, you need at least $4,400 saved to cover a two-week break.

Plan for holiday spending (your personal budget matters too)

December isn’t just expensive for the business; it’s expensive at home. Think about:

• Gifts

• Food

• Holidays

• School holidays

• January rego or bills

Add this to your break budget so you’re not dipping into business cash to cover personal costs.

Overestimate your January quiet patch

This is the key to avoiding a January cash-flow crunch.

Do this instead of discounting or rushing work:

• Add a “silly season surcharge” to urgent jobs

• Prioritise high-margin work

• Ask for larger deposits to boost cash flow

• Book non-urgent clients for mid-January onwards

If your quotes are strong now, your January will be smooth.

Create your time-off plan

A simple formula you can use:

(Weekly operating cost × holiday weeks)

• (Expected January slowdown gap)

• (Personal holiday spending)**= Your time-off savings target

Hit that number, and you can take your break guilt-free.

The bottom line

Tradies need time off, but the business also needs a buffer.

When you know your numbers, it becomes easy to:

✔ take a break

✔ enjoy it

✔ return without cash-flow panic

✔ keep wages, super, and bills running smoothly

At Accounting Navigator, we help tradies take control of their cash flow, pricing, tax, and systems so the business works with you—not against you.

If you want support planning the Christmas period or smoothing out your income year-round, check out our Bookkeeping Series.