Free calculator
Most people set a rate by guessing, or by copying a competitor. This works backwards from the income you need — after costs, time off, and the hours you can't bill.
You now know your number. The Operations Kit ($19) turns it into a rate card, a quoting worksheet and payment-terms templates you fill in once and reuse on every job.
We'll send your number plus a one-page guide on raising rates without losing customers.
The mistake is dividing desired income by all working hours. You can't bill all of them. Quoting, driving, invoicing, chasing payment and marketing are real work that no customer pays for directly — so every billable hour has to carry them.
Billable hours = weeks × hours × billable %.
Required revenue = (income ÷ (1 − tax rate)) + business costs.
Hourly rate = required revenue ÷ billable hours.
This is the rate at which you break even on the life you want — it isn't your market price. If your work is specialised, urgent, or higher quality than the average, charge above it. If the number shocks you, that's useful information: it usually means the current rate is quietly funded by unpaid overtime.
Book a one hour AI automation audit. You get a written plan ranked by payoff, with the tools and a realistic cost for each. From 49 dollars, delivered in two days.