Should I use gross billed revenue or collected revenue?

Use COLLECTED recurring service revenue — what actually hits your bank from autopay and paid invoices — not gross billed. Gross billing that includes ghost or partial-pay accounts inflates the value. Buyers and brokers value what you collect.

Are one-time repairs part of the route value?

No. Repairs, filter cleans, salt cells and heater work are 'plus business' and are valued separately and conservatively (about 0.5× annual) — never folded into the recurring base multiple. A documented repair track record adds upside, but treat it as a separate line, not part of the MRR multiple.

Why does the tool show a range instead of one price?

Because real routes trade in a range. Brokers and buyers think in multiples on a 6×–18× scale, and the final number depends on financing, local supply and demand, and the buyer. Presenting a single firm price burns trust — the tool deliberately gives a low–high range plus the central indicated value.

Pool Route Valuation Calculator

Q: How is a pool route valued?

A pool route is valued as monthly recurring revenue (collected service billing) multiplied by a risk-adjusted multiple, not as account count times a flat guess. The industry band runs roughly 6× to 18× of monthly billing, with healthy mid-market routes clustering around 8×–12×. This free calculator anchors at 9× and adjusts up or down for retention, route density, region/seasonality, autopay, chemical billing model, and owner-dependence.

Q: What drives the multiple up or down?

Retention is the biggest lever — 90%+ annual retention adds the most, while heavy churn slashes the multiple. Tight routes (short drive times), year-round climates, high autopay percentage, separate chemical billing, and a transferable (tech-run) route all push the multiple higher. Spread-out routes, seasonal markets, low autopay, bundled flat-rate chemicals, and owner-dependence push it lower.

Q: Is this a formal appraisal?

No. This is an estimate and sanity-check tool, not an appraisal, broker opinion of value, or offer. It does not replace a qualified pool-route broker, business appraiser, or due diligence. Use it to sanity-check a number, then verify with a professional before transacting.

What’s a pool route worth? Collected MRR × a risk-adjusted 6×–18× multiple — sanity-check any broker’s number.

Ready

The route & revenue

Accounts on the route

acct

Avg billing / account

Collected recurring monthly revenue (MRR)

/mo

Collected recurring service billing only (autopay/paid invoices), excluding one-time repairs. Blank = derived from accounts × avg billing. Accounts are a sanity cross-check, not the primary value driver.

Quality & risk levers

Annual retention

On autopay / card-on-file

Route density / drive time

Region / climate

Chemicals billing model

Who runs the route

Retention is the single biggest multiple swing — 90%+ earns the biggest premium. Tight, year-round, high-autopay, separately-billed and tech-run routes push the multiple up.

Optional

Avg monthly “plus business”

Broker’s quoted price

Repairs, filter cleans, salt cells, heaters — valued separately (~0.5× annual), never inside the recurring multiple. Enter a broker quote to see where it lands on the 6×–18× scale.

Estimated route value

range

Central value

Multiple

—

Retention is the lever that moves the multiple most. A 90%+ route earns the biggest premium; heavy churn slashes it. Tight density, year-round climate, high autopay, separate chemical billing and a tech-run (transferable) route all push the multiple up — spread-out, seasonal, low-autopay, bundled-flat and owner-dependent routes push it down. Value on collected revenue, not gross billed.

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Pool Route Valuation Calculator — guide & how to use

What it does

A pool route is not worth account count × a flat guess. It's worth your collected monthly recurring revenue (MRR) × a risk-adjusted multiple that swings from about 6× to 18× depending on retention, route density, region/seasonality, autopay, chemical billing model, and how transferable the route is. This tool anchors at a healthy mid-market 9× and shows you exactly how each lever moves the number — then gives you a low–high range (never a single firm price) and a verdict on a broker's quote.

How to use it

Enter your collected MRR (or leave it blank and enter accounts + average billing to derive it).
Set the quality & risk levers: retention, density, region, autopay, chemical model, owner vs. staff.
Read the range and the multiple build-up. Optionally enter a broker's quote to see where it lands on the 6×–18× scale.

Worked example

A Phoenix route: 40 accounts, $6,000 collected MRR, 85% retention, moderate density, year-round climate, 60% autopay, chemicals billed separately, owner-run.

Base                        9.0x
Retention 85% (80–89.99)   +1.0
Density (Moderate)          0.0
Region (Year-round)        +1.0
Autopay 60% (50–79.99)     +0.5
Chemicals (Separate)       +0.5
Transferability (Owner)    -0.5
---------------------------------
Raw multiple               11.5x  -> clamped 11.5x

Route value = $6,000 × 11.5 = $69,000
Range = $6,000 × [10.0 .. 13.0] = $60,000 – $78,000
Value per account ≈ $1,725

If a broker quotes $66,000, that's 11.0× MRR — squarely within the neutral fair range. A quote of $90,000 (15.0×) would land above the range and favor the seller; $50,000 (8.3×) would favor the buyer.

The multiple build-up (how the math works)

Base 9.0× — midpoint anchor of the 6×–18× band; healthy routes cluster 8×–12×.
Retention (biggest lever): ≥90% +2.0, 80–89.99 +1.0, 70–79.99 0, 60–69.99 −1.5, <60 −3.0.
Density: Tight +1.5, Moderate 0, Spread out −1.5.
Region/seasonality: Year-round +1.0, Mixed 0, Seasonal −1.5.
Autopay: ≥80% +1.0, 50–79.99 +0.5, <50 0, <25 −0.5.
Chemicals: Billed separately +0.5, Bundled flat −0.5.
Transferability: Tech/staff-run +0.5, Owner-run −0.5.
Clamp the raw multiple to the 6.0×–18.0× industry band, then value = MRR × multiple.
Range = MRR × [multiple − 1.5 .. multiple + 1.5], clamped to 6–18.
Plus-business (repairs) is valued separately at ~0.5× annual and added on top — never inside the recurring multiple.

Common mistakes this tool corrects

Valuing on account count × a flat per-account guess instead of MRR × a risk-adjusted multiple.
Using gross billed revenue instead of actually-collected recurring revenue.
Folding one-time repair income into the recurring base and applying the full service multiple to it.
Ignoring retention — a high-billing route with 60% churn is worth far less than a smaller 90%-retention route.
Forgetting drive time/density, or treating owner-run and tech-run routes as equal.
Comparing a broker's quote to a single mental anchor instead of the fair range and the implied multiple.

How to embed this tool on your website

No account, no coding. Copy the embed code and paste it where you want it to appear:

<iframe src="https://snaptoolsuite.com/pool-route-valuation-calculator/?embed=1"
  style="width:100%;max-width:560px;height:1180px;border:0;"
  title="Pool Route Valuation Calculator" loading="lazy"></iframe>
<p>Free <a href="https://snaptoolsuite.com/pool-route-valuation-calculator/">Pool Route Valuation Calculator</a> by Snap Tool Suite</p>

2 Paste it on your page

3 It just works

See it live: view a real embed example →

Frequently asked questions

How is a pool route valued?

Collected MRR × a risk-adjusted multiple on a 6×–18× band, anchored at 9×. Not account count × a flat guess.

What drives the multiple up or down?

Retention is the biggest lever. Tight routes, year-round climate, high autopay, separate chemical billing and tech-run (transferable) routes push it up; spread-out, seasonal, low-autopay, bundled-flat and owner-dependent routes push it down.

Gross billed or collected revenue?

Collected. Gross billing with ghost/partial-pay accounts inflates value — enter what you actually collect.

Are repairs part of the route value?

No. Repairs are "plus business," valued separately at ~0.5× annual. Treat it as upside, not part of the MRR multiple.

Why a range, not one price?

Real routes trade in a range. Financing, local supply/demand and the buyer all move the number. A single firm price burns trust.

Is this a formal appraisal?

No — it's an estimate and sanity-check, not an appraisal, broker opinion of value, or offer. Verify with a professional before transacting.

Accuracy & disclaimers

This is an estimate / sanity-check tool, not an appraisal, brokerage opinion of value, or offer, and does not replace a qualified pool-route broker, business appraiser, or due diligence. The model is calibrated to publicly reported 2025–2026 norms: routes commonly trade at 8×–12× monthly service billing, within a full observed band of roughly 6×–18×. The 9.0× anchor and adjustment weights are heuristic approximations of how brokers describe the levers — actual deals vary by buyer, financing, and local supply/demand. Value is built on collected recurring service revenue; gross billing with ghost accounts is worth less. Repairs/"plus business" are valued separately and conservatively (0.5× annual) — treat the add-on as upside, not guaranteed. Region is a proxy for seasonality and demand and does not capture local saturation, licensing, or city dynamics. As a cross-check, route value should also be roughly sane as ~2×–5.5× Seller's Discretionary Earnings (SDE); if it isn't, dig deeper before transacting. All figures are pre-tax, exclude inventory/vehicles/equipment unless separately negotiated, and assume a standard asset sale with a customary non-compete and transition period.

Pool tools & guides

Related tools

Everything is calculated in your browser. We don't store or sell your data. Multiples are market heuristics — not an appraisal.

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