Free calculator for tradies, no signup
How much should you charge per hour?
A charge-out rate calculator for Australian tradies. Put in what you want to earn and what the business costs to run. See the hour you break even at, a rate with profit on top, and what that means for a day on the tools.
How the sum works
- Add up a year: the pay you want, super on that pay, and every cost of running the business.
- Work out the hours customers pay for: weeks you work times hours on the tools each week.
- Divide the year by those hours. That is your break-even hour: charge less and you're paying to work.
- Put your profit % on top. That is your charge-out rate, before GST.
The hours you spend quoting, driving and doing paperwork are left out of the paid hours on purpose. They are real work, but nobody pays for them, so your paid hours have to carry them. More on pricing in how to price a job.
Where the starting numbers come from
- Super starts at 12%, the super guarantee rate from 1 July 2025. Australian Taxation Office, super guarantee rates.
- 46 weeks and a 38-hour week: employees get 4 weeks' annual leave, 10 days' personal leave and public holidays, and a 38-hour full-time week. We start you on the same. Fair Work Ombudsman, National Employment Standards.
- The dollar amounts it starts with (pay, ute, insurance and the rest) are one example to show how it works. They are not averages for any trade. Put your own in.
Charge-out rates
Common questions
How much should I charge per hour as a tradie in Australia?
Enough to pay yourself, your super and every cost of running the business, from only the hours a customer actually pays for, with profit on top. Add up a year of pay, super and costs, divide by your paid hours, then add your profit %. That is what this calculator does. We don't quote an average rate: yours depends on your costs and your hours, not someone else's.
Is it different for electricians, plumbers and other trades?
The sum is the same for every trade. What changes is what goes into it: licences, insurance, the van or ute, tools, stock and how much of the week goes on quoting and driving. Put your own numbers in and the answer is yours.
What is a charge-out rate?
The price per hour you charge the customer for your time, before GST. It is not your wage. It has to cover your pay, super, the ute, insurance, phone, tools and the hours nobody pays for, and leave some profit.
Why is my break-even hour so much higher than my wage?
Because customers only pay for time on the tools. Quoting, driving, picking up materials and paperwork are real work that nobody pays for, so the paid hours have to carry them. Running costs come on top of your pay as well.
Do I have to pay myself super as a sole trader?
No. The super guarantee is for employees, so a sole trader doesn't have to pay it to themselves. It is still your retirement, so the calculator costs it in at 12%. Set it to 0 if you'd rather not.
Why 46 weeks a year?
52 weeks less 4 weeks of holidays and about 2 weeks of public holidays and sick days. That matches what an employee gets under the National Employment Standards. If you take more time off, or lose weeks to rain, lower it.
Does the rate include GST?
No, it is before GST. If you're registered for GST, your quotes add 10% on top.
How do I use this rate on my quotes?
Put it in as your hourly rate. In Karven it fills the labour lines on every quote, and Settings, Your rates has this same calculator, saved to your account.