What should you charge?
Work backward from the income you want to the rate you actually need, once you account for non-billable time, expenses, and the taxes a paycheck used to hide.
Free forever · No credit card · Saved across devices
Sample result
PreviewTo hit your goal, charge at least
$84/hr
Day rate
$675
Per month
$8,444
Per year
$101,333
To net $70k after expenses and taxes, not the $35/hr it feels like.
Find your own number free
Create an account to enter your income goal and real capacity, and see the rate you need, saved across devices.
The billable-hours trap
Most people price as if every working hour is billable. It isn't. And once you count only the hours clients actually pay for, plus taxes and expenses, the rate you truly need is far higher than it feels.
Your floor, then your value
This number is the minimum to hit your goal. The real money is in pricing on the value you create (the exact skill taught in the Start Your Business course).
How it works
Enter the income you want to take home each year, plus your typical business expenses and taxes.
Set your real billable hours instead of assuming a full work week, since admin, sales calls, and rest time never actually get billed to a client.
The calculator divides your income goal by those billable hours to show the minimum hourly rate you need to charge.
What to do with your result
This number is a floor, the least you can charge and still hit your goal. Start Your Business teaches you to price above it: charging for the value and outcome you deliver instead of the hours you spend, and finding clients willing to pay that rate. Use the calculator to know your minimum, then use the course to learn to charge more than it.
Explore Start Your BusinessFrequently asked questions
Charge what you're worth.
Create a free account to find your rate, then learn to price on value (not hours) in Start Your Business.