Altman Z-Score Calculator

Calculate Altman Z-score bankruptcy risk from balance sheet, market value, earnings, and sales inputs.

Enter the five original Altman model inputs to classify the company as safe, grey, or distress zone.

Altman Z-Score Calculator
Calculate Altman Z-score bankruptcy risk from balance sheet, market value, earnings, and sales inputs.

About the Altman Z-Score Calculator

Altman Z-Score Calculator helps credit analysts, equity researchers, lenders, and finance students turn scattered inputs into a defensible Altman Z-score estimate. The page is designed for practical analysis rather than abstract definition: enter the relevant source figures, then review both the headline result and the supporting metrics. Because the calculation is shown on the page, the result can be checked, repeated, and compared across scenarios instead of treated as a black box. The core formula is Z = 1.2X1 + 1.4X2 + 3.3X3 + 0.6X4 + 1.0X5. The five ratios measure liquidity, accumulated profitability, operating profitability, market leverage, and asset turnover. The page compares the resulting score with the classic public-manufacturing cutoffs: above 2.99 is safe, 1.81 to 2.99 is grey, and below 1.81 is distress. Optional fields are left out when blank, and required fields must be positive where the denominator, principal, income, or time period would otherwise make the result meaningless. That behavior is useful for early planning because a partial case can still be modeled without pretending that every input is known. It also makes sensitivity analysis straightforward: change one assumption at a time and watch how the Altman Z-score estimate responds. Common use cases include screening bankruptcy risk, comparing leveraged industrial companies, teaching credit ratios, flagging borrowers for deeper review, and documenting why profitability, leverage, and sales efficiency matter together. In each case, the point is not just to produce a number, but to understand what drives that number. The most sensitive input depends on the metric: rates and terms drive time-value calculations, denominators drive per-unit metrics, deductions and exemptions drive tax estimates, and timing assumptions drive valuation or return measures. The examples below use realistic inputs and show the arithmetic outcome so the method is easy to audit. A high score usually combines positive working capital, retained earnings, EBIT, market value coverage, and sales productivity; a low score often reflects weak profitability or heavy liabilities. The Altman Z-score estimate is most reliable when the inputs use the same period, entity, and accounting basis. Avoid mixing annual and monthly values, book and market values, pre-tax and after-tax figures, or gross and net amounts unless the label explicitly calls for that treatment. The original Z-score model was calibrated for publicly traded manufacturing firms, so private companies, financial institutions, REITs, startups, and asset-light businesses may need different versions or additional analysis. Use the result for education, screening, and scenario comparison, then verify consequential filings, financing choices, investment decisions, or contracts against authoritative source documents.

Altman Z-score examples

Worked examples for the Altman Z-Score Calculator using the same formula as the calculator.

InputsOutputNotes
Assets $50M; liabilities $25M; working capital $5M; retained earnings $8M; EBIT $6M; market value equity $70M; sales $65MZ = 3.72; SafeStrong market value coverage and sales productivity lift the company above 2.99.
Assets $20M; liabilities $18M; working capital $0.5M; retained earnings -$2M; EBIT $0.8M; equity $6M; sales $12MZ = 0.82; DistressWeak accumulated earnings and high liabilities pull the score below 1.81.
Assets $40M; liabilities $22M; working capital $3M; retained earnings $4M; EBIT $3M; equity $25M; sales $35MZ = 2.03; GreyThe score falls in the inconclusive middle zone.

How to calculate Altman Z-score

  1. Enter balance sheet and income statement values using the same currency scale.
  2. Use market value of equity, not book equity, for the original public-company formula.
  3. Calculate the Z-score and review the safe, grey, or distress classification.
  4. Pair the score with trend, industry, liquidity, and covenant analysis before acting.

Altman Z-Score Calculator FAQ

What does the Altman Z-score calculator calculate?
The Altman Z-score calculator calculates the original Altman bankruptcy risk score and risk zone from the values entered on the page. The displayed formula is applied directly, so changing one input updates the result without hidden assumptions.
Which inputs matter most for the Altman Z-score calculator?
The most important inputs are the numerator, denominator, rate, or time fields named in the formula. Optional fields are treated as zero or omitted when blank, which keeps a partial scenario from adding invented values.
Can the Altman Z-score calculator be used for final decisions?
The Altman Z-score calculator applies the classic model and cutoffs, which may not fit every industry or company type. Treat the output as a planning estimate and reconcile important decisions with official records, lender disclosures, tax instructions, audited statements, or professional advice.
Why should I run multiple scenarios?
Most financial metrics move sharply when rates, periods, fees, deductions, or denominators change. Running a base case, conservative case, and upside case makes the driver of the result easier to see.
How should I enter percentages and money amounts?
Enter percentages as ordinary numbers, such as 6.5 for 6.5%. Enter currency amounts as plain numbers without commas or symbols; the result area formats the output for readability.