What should you charge per hour?
Enough to keep what you need after tax, costs and card fees, across only the hours a client pays for. Taking home $60,000 over 46 weeks of 15 billed hours needs $134 an hour. That figure is your floor. Charge it or more.
- Step 1
Write down the take-home you need.
For the year, after tax. The example uses $60,000.
- Step 2
Add the tax back on.
At 28%, that’s $83,333 before tax.
- Step 3
Add what the practice costs.
$6,000 in the example: software, insurance, training, an accountant.
- Step 4
Add card fees.
At 3.5%, you have to collect $92,573.
- Step 5
Count the hours a client pays for.
Not the hours you work. 15 a week for 46 weeks is 690 hours.
- Step 6
Divide.
$92,573 over 690 hours is $134 an hour.
Why the hours matter most
Every other number moves the price a little. The hours move it a lot, because they’re the bottom of the fraction. How many hours a week can you bill? is the honest count, and seven pricing mistakes starts with this one.
The floor isn’t your price. It’s the number your price can’t go under.
Checked 2026-10-11.