Does WACC include debt?
Christopher Ramos
Updated on February 09, 2026
The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is a calculation of a firm’s cost of capital in which each category of capital is proportionately weighted. All sources of capital, including common stock, preferred stock, bonds, and any other long-term debt, are included in a WACC calculation.
Why is WACC lower with debt?
The lower a company’s WACC, the cheaper it is for a company to fund new projects. Because this would increase the proportion of debt to equity, and because the debt is cheaper than the equity, the company’s weighted average cost of capital would decrease.
What does WACC not include?
WACC only includes capital sources that come from investors. Therefore, it includes all loans, notes and mortgages, retained earnings and equity contributions you and investors make. It excludes liabilities that are not debt. Accounts payable, accrued liabilities and deferred revenues are all excluded.
Does higher debt increase WACC?
If the financial risk to shareholders increases, they will require a greater return to compensate them for this increased risk, thus the cost of equity will increase and this will lead to an increase in the WACC. more debt also increases the WACC as: financial risk. beta equity.
How does the WACC calculate the cost of debt?
WACC = MVe MVd +MVe ⋅Re + MVd MVd+MVe ⋅Rd⋅(1−t) WACC = MV e MV d + MV e ⋅ R e + MV d MV d + MV e ⋅ R d ⋅ ( 1 − t) The cost of debt is usually fixed, based on the terms of a given bond or loan contract. As a result, the cost of debt is usually both certain and predictable.
What is the formula for weighted average cost of capital?
WACC WACC is a firm’s Weighted Average Cost of Capital and represents its blended cost of capital including equity and debt. The WACC formula is = (E/V x Re) + ( (D/V x Rd) x (1-T)). This guide will provide an overview of what it is, why its used, how to calculate it, and also provides a downloadable WACC calculator
How to determine optimal capital structure for WACC?
Using either Modigliani & Miller or an empirical model, it is possible to derive the optimal capital structure for the firm’s WACC. Determining optimum leverage is merely a matter of finding the optimal capital structure that trades off tax benefits with the added financial stress of debt.
What are liabilities that are not included in WACC?
The following are examples of liabilities that may be omitted from the WACC calculation because of accounting rules: Operating leasesOperating LeaseAn operating lease is an agreement to use and operate an asset without ownership. Special purpose vehicles Joint ventures and associates Net pension deficits