True Hourly Rate Calculator - Fempire
Client Tool
True Hourly Rate Calculator

What is your time
actually worth?

Fill in the three layers below. Your true hourly rate updates automatically at the bottom of the page.

1

Your Employee Equivalent Rate

What the market would pay someone with your skills

Why this matters

If you earn less per hour than the market pays an employee to do your job, you have not built a business. You have built a job with worse conditions. This is your floor, not your ceiling.

$
Enter your own target owner's pay: the annual figure you want your business to pay you for doing your role.
wks
Suggested: 46 weeks (accounts for 4 weeks holiday, 1 week sick, 1 week CPD).
Billable Capacity: Be Realistic
hrs
Suggested: 4–5 hours. Most business owners overestimate this, be honest.
days
Suggested: 4 days. Leave at least one day per week for sales, marketing, and admin.
Enter your salary and hours above to see your annual billable capacity.
Layer 1: Skill Value-
2

Business Cost Overlay

Enter your actual annual figures from your P&L

Every cost must be recovered

As a business owner every line on your P&L comes out of revenue before you earn a cent. Enter actual annual totals from Xero or your bookkeeper. Add or remove rows to match your business.

Total Annual Overhead-
Overhead Per Billable Hour-
Layer 1 + 2 Combined-
3

Profit Premium

Your risk-return reward for owning a business

This is not optional

Business owners carry risks no employee faces: income uncertainty, liability, client loss, no paid leave. Profit is the premium you charge for that risk. If your rate only covers costs and salary, you are running a charitable service.

Select Your Target Profit Margin
15%
Lean
Minimum viable.
25%
Solid
Healthy service business.
35%
Strong
Room to invest and grow.
40%
Premium
Specialist positioning.
%
Type your own target. Typical range: 20 to 40 percent.
Profit Premium Per Hour-
Fempire Business Coaching: Rate Calculator
Your True Hourly Rate
Layer 1: Skill Value
-
Employee equivalent / hr
Layer 2: Cost Recovery
-
Overhead / billable hour
Layer 3: Profit Premium
-
Risk-return reward
True Hourly Rate
The minimum you must charge per hour to pay yourself properly, recover every cost, and make a real profit.
Fill in the layers above

What this number means for youIf your current rates sit below this figure, every hour you bill is costing you money. Bring this to your next coaching session, and we will build the offer structure and positioning to close the gap.

Copyright Notice

© FEMPIRE and Trudy Heins (CEO and Master Coach). All rights reserved. This document is provided for the personal use of the individual recipient only. No part of this document may be reproduced, distributed, resold, sublicensed, or used to create derivative works without the prior written permission of FEMPIRE. Licensing enquiries: [email protected]

Disclaimer

This calculator is provided for educational and planning purposes only. It does not constitute financial, legal, tax, or accounting advice. Results are illustrative only and are not a guarantee of business performance or income. Nothing in this calculator should be relied upon as a substitute for professional advice specific to your business, jurisdiction, or circumstances. FEMPIRE and Trudy Heins accept no liability for decisions made on the basis of this calculator.