Margin is profit as a share of the price, which is why the rate is divided by (1 − margin) rather than multiplied by (1 + margin).
Worked example
A consultant wants £60,000 a year, has £12,000 of costs, works 46 weeks of 40 hours and bills 60% of their time: 1,104 billable hours. Break-even is £72,000 ÷ 1,104 = £65.22 an hour. With a 20% margin the rate is £81.52 an hour, or £611.40 for a 7.5-hour day.
DO IT IN ANGELWOOD
See whether your rates are working.
Angelwood’s time reports show billable hours, utilisation and project profitability from the time your team tracks.
Add the pay you need to your business costs, divide by the hours you can actually bill in a year, then add a profit margin. The calculator does this for you.
What billable percentage should I use?+
Many freelancers and consultants bill between half and three-quarters of their working hours once sales and admin are counted. Track your own time for a few weeks to find your real figure.
Should I charge hourly or by day?+
Day rates suit workshops and on-site work and reduce haggling over small amounts of time. Hourly suits short or unpredictable tasks. The calculator gives both.
Do I need to add VAT to my rate?+
The calculator works on rates before tax. If you’re VAT-registered, add VAT on top when you invoice; the VAT calculator helps.