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Covered Call Calculator

Premium yield, what you make if the shares get called away, and where your basis actually sits.

Trade details

Results

Shares covered100
Capital basis$0.00
Total premium$0.00
Net premium (after fees)$0.00
Return on capital (premium)0.0%
Annualized return (premium)0.0%
Total return if called away0.0%
Breakeven price$0.00
% out of the money

How the numbers work

  • Premium yield = premium ÷ (cost basis × 100). What the call pays against what the shares cost you.
  • If called away = premium + (strike − cost basis) × 100. Both halves are known the moment you sell.
  • Downside cushion = premium ÷ share price. Usually 1–3%, which is far less protection than it feels like.
  • Net basis = cost basis − every premium collected on this cycle.

A call on assigned shares

Assigned 100 shares at $50 having collected $1.20 on the put. Net basis $48.80.

Sell a 30-day $52 call for $0.90$90.

Net basis falls to $47.90.

If called away at $52: ($52 − $47.90) × 100 = $410.

Never sell a strike below your net basis

It's the most common way a profitable wheel becomes a losing one, and it happens exactly when the position is underwater and the higher strikes have stopped paying. Getting called away below your basis locks in a loss the premium won't cover.

A covered call is not downside protection — the cushion figure above makes that concrete. If you want an actual floor under a holding, that's a collar, and it costs you the upside.

Covered Calls

Renting out shares you already own — and the one strike rule that stops it going wrong.

Educational only

These figures come from the numbers you enter and standard options arithmetic. Nothing here is investment, financial, or tax advice, and a good-looking return says nothing about whether the underlying stock is a good idea.