How many hours a week can you bill?
Fewer than you think. Count the hours a client paid for last month, not the hours you were busy. Price for those, never for forty, because the hours you sell have to pay for every hour you don’t.
Here’s a week that feels full. Monday you prepare. Tuesday you chase an invoice and trade five emails about a time. Wednesday, two clients. Thursday, one. Friday, a proposal that goes nowhere. Forty hours worked. Maybe twelve paid for.
Price yourself for forty and you need $50 an hour. Sell 15 hours a week at that price and you collect about 38% of what the year needed. The rest of the plan quietly disappears.
| Hours billed a week | Billable hours in 46 weeks | An hour has to cost |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 460 | $201 |
| 15 | 690 | $134 |
| 20 | 920 | $101 |
| 25 | 1,150 | $80 |
| 40 | 1,840 | $50 |
Where the other hours go
- Finding the next client: messages, calls, and the conversations that don’t become work.
- Preparing and following up: the reading before a session, the notes after it, the email in between.
- Admin: booking, invoicing, chasing, the accountant.
- Learning: the training, the supervision, the reading your work needs to stay good.
None of it is optional. None of it is billed. All of it has to be paid for by the hours that are.
Count yours
- Step 1
Take last month
Add up the hours a client paid for, from your calendar or your invoices.
- Step 2
Divide by the weeks you worked
Leave out the weeks you were away.
- Step 3
Price for that number
If it looks low, good. Now you know which number to raise.
Busy isn’t billed. Price for the hours somebody pays for.
Your hours in, a floor out, and a price for each offer from the hours it takes.
Pricing worksheet →Checked 2026-10-10.