How many clients do you need to replace a salary?
To take home $60,000 a year at $180 a session, you need about 11.2 paid sessions a week for 46 weeks. If each client comes every other week, that’s around 23 clients on your books at once. Tax, costs and card fees are counted in.
Start from the number on your payslip after tax, not the salary in your offer letter. That’s what the practice has to replace.
- Step 1
Write down your take-home pay for a year.
The example uses $60,000.
- Step 2
Add the tax back on.
At 28% of profit, $60,000 after tax is $83,333 before it.
- Step 3
Add what the practice costs to run.
Software, insurance, a professional membership: $6,000 in the example.
- Step 4
Add card fees.
At 3.5% of every payment, you have to collect $92,573 to keep $89,333.
- Step 5
Divide by your price.
At $180 a session, that’s 515 sessions a year.
- Step 6
Divide by the weeks you’ll work.
Over 46 weeks, leaving six for holidays and illness, it’s 11.2 sessions a week.
The same arithmetic the hourly calculator runs, from the coaching setup’s session price.
Sessions aren’t clients
A client who comes every week fills one slot; one who comes every other week fills half of one. At 11.2 a week, fortnightly clients means about 23 people on your books at any time, and more to find each year as some finish.
Sessions aren’t hours, either
11.2 paid sessions sounds like a short week. It isn’t. Notes, email, invoices and finding the next client sit around every one of them. Where the week goes counts the hours nobody pays for, so you can see whether the week fits.
Packages change the count
Sold as six for $960, a session is $160, and the same take-home needs 12.6 a week. A discount buys commitment, and it costs sessions.
Put in your own take-home, costs and price, and see the sessions and clients it takes.
How many clients replace a salary →Checked 2026-10-11.