Free Tool

What should you charge per hour?

Most contractors price based on what feels right — and end up underpaid. Run your real numbers below and find out the hourly rate (and flat rate) you actually need to charge to hit your income goal.

Enter your numbers

$40K $90,000 $300K
$5K $30,000 $150K
10 25 hours/week 50
40 48 weeks 52
0% 15% 40%

Your minimum hourly rate

$120

per billable hour

$144K

annual revenue needed

$240

half-day flat rate (4hr)

$960

full-day flat rate (8hr)

Stop pricing on guesswork.

Kairvio sends quotes, books jobs, and collects payment so you actually get paid your real rate.

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How to use this calculator

Most service business owners price by gut. They charge what the last competitor charged, what feels reasonable, or what customers seem willing to pay. Then they wonder why they're working 60-hour weeks and not getting ahead.

Real pricing is math. Three numbers control everything:

  • What you need to take home — your actual paycheck after the business pays its bills.
  • What the business has to spend to operate — insurance, vehicle, fuel, software, marketing, materials waste, tools, all of it.
  • How many hours you actually bill — not 40 hours a week, but the hours where money is being earned. Driving, quoting, paperwork, and admin time don't count.

This calculator turns those three numbers into the hourly rate you need to charge. If your real rate looks higher than what your local market charges, you have a problem — either your overhead is too high, your billable utilization is too low, or you need to charge more (and most contractors need to charge more).

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