{
 "schema": "aiblocks-page/1",
 "id": "hourly-rate-calculator",
 "type": "skill",
 "name": "Hourly rate calculator",
 "summary": "Give it your target pay, costs and billable hours. Get an hourly rate, a day rate and a project price.",
 "headline": "Hourly rate calculator",
 "subhead": "Tell it the take-home pay you want, your yearly costs, your days off and how many hours you can really bill. It works out the revenue you need, then your hourly rate, day rate and a price for a project of a set size. It shows how the rate moves if billable hours change.",
 "job": {
  "id": "set-prices",
  "name": "Set your prices"
 },
 "level": "beginner",
 "thinking": "low",
 "tested": true,
 "updated": "2026-10-28",
 "first_published": "2026-10-27",
 "inputs": [
  {
   "type": "question",
   "required": true,
   "label": "Question",
   "what": "the problem, decision or piece of work you want help with, and what a good outcome looks like"
  },
  {
   "type": "spreadsheet",
   "required": false,
   "label": "Spreadsheet",
   "what": "a spreadsheet with its data, formulas and charts"
  }
 ],
 "outputs": [
  {
   "type": "plan",
   "required": true,
   "label": "Plan",
   "what": "a dated plan: what to do, in what order, with a decision rule for each step"
  }
 ],
 "you_give": [
  "The take-home pay you want for a year",
  "Your yearly business costs, such as software and insurance",
  "The weeks you want off, and the share of your week you can bill",
  "The share of income to put aside for tax, from your accountant (optional)",
  "A project size in hours or days (optional)"
 ],
 "you_get": [
  "The revenue you need for the year, built up step by step",
  "An hourly rate and a day rate",
  "A price for a project of the size you give",
  "A table showing how the rate changes with billable hours"
 ],
 "use_when": [
  "You are going freelance and ask \"how much should I charge?\"",
  "Your rate hasn't changed in a while and you aren't sure it covers your costs.",
  "A client asked you to justify your price."
 ],
 "skip_when": [
  "You want a market rate for your work: look at what peers charge, then compare it with the number here.",
  "You are pricing a product, not your time: use the Three-package pricing planner.",
  "You want a full proposal for a client: use the Freelance website quote and proposal planner."
 ],
 "output_sample": {
  "input": [
   "The take-home pay you want, and your yearly costs",
   "Weeks off, and the hours you can bill in a week",
   "Your tax share from your accountant (optional)",
   "A project size in hours or days (optional)"
  ],
  "output": [
   {
    "name": "What you need to earn",
    "contains": "Take-home pay, tax set-aside, costs and margin added up to the revenue you need."
   },
   {
    "name": "Your billable time",
    "contains": "Weeks worked times billable hours a week."
   },
   {
    "name": "Your rates",
    "contains": "Hourly rate and day rate, each shown with its sum."
   },
   {
    "name": "A project",
    "contains": "The rate times the project size you gave."
   },
   {
    "name": "What if you bill less",
    "contains": "The hourly rate at fewer billable hours."
   },
   {
    "name": "Missing",
    "contains": "Anything you did not give, such as a tax share."
   },
   {
    "name": "Checks missed",
    "contains": "One line for each of its own checks that still fails, or none."
   }
  ]
 },
 "output_shape": "WHAT YOU NEED TO EARN\nTake-home pay <yours> + Tax set-aside <on your share> + Costs <yours> + Margin <yours> = Revenue needed <total>\n\nYOUR BILLABLE TIME\nWeeks worked <52 less your weeks off> x Billable hours a week <yours> = Billable hours <total>\n\nYOUR RATES\nHourly <revenue / hours> | Day <revenue / days>\n\nA PROJECT OF <size>\n<rate x size>\n\nWHAT IF YOU BILL LESS\nBillable hours <lower> -> Hourly rate <new>\n\nMISSING\n<what you did not tell it>\n\nCHECKS MISSED\n<one line per check still missed, or none>",
 "how_to_use": [
  "Start a chat with the skill. Open it if you added it to your AI, or copy it and paste it in.",
  "Give the pay you want, your yearly costs, weeks off and the hours you can bill in a week.",
  "Add the tax share your accountant gave you. If you leave it out, the skill marks the rate as before tax.",
  "Check the billable hours. Most people overestimate them, so try a lower figure too.",
  "Use the rate as a floor. Price a project above it if the work is hard or rushed."
 ],
 "checks": [
  "The sums can be rebuilt by hand from your numbers.",
  "Revenue needed is take-home pay plus tax, costs and margin.",
  "The rate uses billable hours, not all hours.",
  "No tax rate appears unless you gave it.",
  "The table shows a lower rate of billing and what it does to the rate."
 ],
 "next": [
  {
   "name": "Pricing model designer",
   "url": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/pricing-model-designer",
   "why": "Pricing model designer"
  },
  {
   "name": "Price test planner",
   "url": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/price-test-planner",
   "why": "Price test planner"
  },
  {
   "name": "Pricing decision planner",
   "url": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/pricing-decision-planner",
   "why": "Make an offer people want"
  }
 ],
 "source": null,
 "credits": [],
 "files": [],
 "links": {
  "page": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/hourly-rate-calculator",
  "markdown": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/hourly-rate-calculator.md",
  "json": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/hourly-rate-calculator.json",
  "instructions": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/hourly-rate-calculator/SKILL.md",
  "api_item": "https://useaiblocks.com/api/v1/items/hourly-rate-calculator",
  "api_document": "https://useaiblocks.com/api/v1/documents/skill/hourly-rate-calculator",
  "mcp": "https://useaiblocks.com/mcp"
 }
}