Most food truck owners can tell you their daily sales figures, but ask them about actual personal income and you'll get blank stares. Revenue means nothing if you don't know what ends up in your pocket after seven months of grinding. The gap between gross sales and take-home pay often shocks even experienced operators.
What is personal income for a food truck?
Personal income is what's left for you as owner after all costs. It's not the same as revenue or business profit. Think of it as your actual paycheck from months of 12-hour days.
💡 Example:
Food truck season April-October (7 months):
- Total revenue: €85,000
- All costs: €62,000
- Business profit: €23,000
- Personal income (after tax): €16,100
Per month: €2,300 net for the owner
Collect all income from the season
Start by adding up every euro that came through your window. Food trucks typically have multiple revenue streams:
- Daily sales - revenue from all locations
- Events and festivals - often higher revenue per day
- Private catering - if you do that too
- Other income - merchandise, tips
⚠️ Note:
Only count cash and actually received income. Don't include theoretical revenue if you haven't received credit card payments yet.
Calculate all direct costs
Direct costs eat into every sale you make. These expenses scale with your volume:
- Ingredients and inventory - food cost of all your sales
- Packaging materials - containers, napkins, cutlery
- Fuel for generator - gas, petrol, diesel
- Location fees - rent for spots, market fees
- Event costs - festival registration fees
Food cost for trucks typically runs 28-35% of revenue. Packaging adds another 3-5% on top.
Add up all fixed costs
Fixed costs are the silent killers - they keep ticking no matter if you sell one burger or a hundred:
- Food truck depreciation - purchase price divided by expected lifespan
- Insurance - liability, truck, inventory
- Permits and licenses - operating permit, MOT
- Maintenance and repairs - preventive and unexpected
- Storage and parking - where does your truck sit in winter?
- Accounting and administration - accountant, software
💡 Example fixed costs:
Typical fixed costs per season:
- Insurance: €2,400
- Permits: €800
- Maintenance: €3,500
- Storage (winter): €1,200
- Administration: €1,800
Total fixed costs: €9,700
Calculate your tax burden
Tax gets calculated on your business profit. As a sole proprietor, you'll pay income tax on everything left over:
- Up to €73,031 - 37.07% (2024)
- Above €73,031 - 49.50%
- Self-employed deduction - maximum €6,670 (2024)
These rates change yearly, so always verify current percentages with your accountant.
Formula for personal income
Now you can see what's actually yours after seven months of grinding:
Personal income = (Revenue - Direct costs - Fixed costs - Taxes)
💡 Complete calculation:
Season April-October, 120 sales days:
- Revenue: €85,000
- Food cost (30%): €25,500
- Packaging (4%): €3,400
- Location fees: €8,400
- Fuel: €4,200
- Fixed costs: €9,700
Business profit: €85,000 - €51,200 = €33,800
Tax (37%): €12,506
Personal income: €21,294 (€177 per sales day)
Compare with a regular salary
Reality check time. You need to stack your earnings against what employees make:
- Per hour - how many hours do you actually work per sales day?
- Per month - what would you earn in a regular job?
- With holiday pay - employees get 8% holiday pay automatically
- Without job security - you have zero unemployment safety net
Most food truck owners clock 10-12 hours per sales day. And that's one of the most common blind spots in kitchen management - forgetting to count prep time, travel, and cleanup in your hourly calculations.
⚠️ Note:
Don't forget off-season hours: truck prep, maintenance, admin work, planning next year's routes and menu changes.
Plan for next season
Use these numbers to make smarter decisions next year:
- Top locations - where was your revenue per day highest?
- Most popular items - which dishes had the strongest margins?
- Cost savings - where can you negotiate better supplier deals?
- Price adjustments - can you raise menu prices for next season?
A food cost calculator helps you track profit margins per dish throughout the season. So you'll know exactly which items actually make you money.
How do you calculate your personal income? (step by step)
Collect all income from the season
Add up all revenue from daily sales, events, festivals and any catering. Use your receipt summaries or bank statements so you don't forget anything.
Calculate total direct costs
Add up food cost, packaging, fuel, location fees and event costs. These costs are directly related to your sales.
Add up all fixed costs
Insurance, permits, maintenance, storage and administration costs continue regardless of your revenue. Divide annual costs by the number of seasons.
Calculate your business profit
Subtract all direct and fixed costs from your total revenue. This is your profit before taxes.
Calculate tax burden and net income
Subtract income tax from your business profit (taking into account the self-employed deduction). What's left is your personal income.
✨ Pro tip
Track your exact earnings per 4-hour shift across 120 operating days to spot which time slots actually pay. You'll discover lunch rushes might only net €72 while evening festivals can hit €124.
Calculate this yourself?
In the KitchenNmbrs app you can do this in just a few clicks. 7 days free, no credit card.
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Frequently asked questions
Do I need to include VAT in my income calculation?
No, always calculate with amounts excluding VAT. The VAT you collect goes straight to tax authorities - it was never yours to begin with.
How do I calculate depreciation of my food truck?
Divide the purchase price by expected lifespan in years. Most food trucks last 8-12 years depending on usage and maintenance quality.
What if I also use my truck for personal trips?
You can only depreciate the business portion of usage. Track business vs personal kilometers carefully, then split all vehicle costs proportionally.
Should I set aside money for winter months?
Absolutely essential. Divide your seasonal income by 12 months so you've got living expenses covered during the dead months. Many operators forget this and scramble come December.
⚠️ EU Regulation 1169/2011 — Allergen Information — https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2011/1169/oj
The allergen information on this page is based on EU Regulation 1169/2011. Recipes and ingredients may vary by supplier. Always verify current allergen information with your supplier and communicate this correctly to your guests. KitchenNmbrs is not liable for allergic reactions.
In the UK, the FSA enforces allergen regulations under the Food Information Regulations 2014.
📚 Sources consulted
- EU Verordening 852/2004 — Levensmiddelenhygiëne (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 853/2004 — Hygiënevoorschriften voor levensmiddelen van dierlijke oorsprong (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 1169/2011 — Voedselinformatie aan consumenten (2011) — Official source
- NVWA — Hygiënecode voor de horeca (2024) — Official source
- NVWA — Allergenen in voedsel (2024) — Official source
- Codex Alimentarius — International Food Standards (2024) — Official source
- FSA — Safer food, better business (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- BVL — Lebensmittelhygiene (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- Warenwetbesluit Bereiding en behandeling van levensmiddelen (2024) — Official source
- WHO — Foodborne diseases estimates (2024) — Official source
Food Standards Agency (FSA) — https://www.food.gov.uk
The HACCP standards shown in this application are for informational purposes only. KitchenNmbrs does not guarantee that displayed values are current or complete. Always consult the FSA or your local authority for the latest regulations.
Written by
Jeffrey Smit
Founder & CEO of KitchenNmbrs
Jeffrey Smit built KitchenNmbrs from 8 years of hands-on experience as kitchen manager at 1NUL8 Group in Rotterdam. His mission: give every restaurant owner control over food cost.
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