Free Charge Out Rate Calculator for Australian Trades

Step 1 of 6 17%

Your Business

Tell us a little about your business so we can tailor the results.

Company Name

Trade Type

Number of Employees (incl. you)

State / Territory

Employee Costs

Enter the costs for the employee you are calculating the rate for.

Base Annual Salary ($)

Gross salary before tax. Super, workers comp & leave are calculated automatically.

Annual Vehicle & Tool Costs ($)

Vehicle lease/depreciation, fuel, tool replacement, and equipment costs.

Estimated Labour Cost Breakdown

Base Salary— Superannuation (12%)— Workers Comp— Leave Provisions (~10%)— Vehicle & Tools— Direct Cost Total—

Business Overheads

Enter your total annual business overheads. These will be split across all employees.

What to include: Rent, utilities, insurance, accounting & legal fees, software subscriptions, marketing, admin wages, phone, internet, safety gear, uniforms, and any other fixed business costs not already captured above.

Total Annual Business Overheads ($)

This will be divided by the number of employees to get the per-employee overhead allocation.

Per-Employee Overhead Allocation

—

per employee per year

Productivity

How many hours can actually be billed? This is where most businesses underestimate their real rate.

Hours Worked Per Day

Training / Conference Days Per Year

Billable Productivity 75%

40% (very low) 75% (typical) 95% (excellent)

What is billable productivity? The percentage of your working time that can actually be invoiced to a client. Time spent quoting, travelling between jobs, admin, and team meetings is typically non-billable. Most trade businesses run at 65–80%.

Estimated Annual Billable Hours

—

billable hours per year

Your Profit Goal

What net profit margin do you want the business to achieve?

Target Net Profit Margin 15%

5% (thin) 15–20% (healthy) 40% (excellent)

Survival

5–10%

Covering costs. No buffer for growth or reinvestment.

Healthy

15–20%

Industry benchmark. Room for growth and owner drawings.

Strong

25%+

Well-run business. Attractive to buyers and investors.

Your Rate is Ready

Enter your details below to reveal your personalised charge out rate and action plan.

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Your Charge Out Rate

$ — /hr

How Your Rate is Built

Annual Labour Cost

—

Overhead Allocation

—

Billable Hours/Year

—

Profit Margin

—

See How Productivity Changes Your Rate

Move the slider to see the real-time impact of improving your team's billable productivity.

Productivity 75%

At this productivity your rate would be

$— /hr

Billable hours/year

—

Your Action Plan

Want Help Hitting This Rate?

Knowing your rate is step one. Making sure your business is set up to actually bill it — and collect it — is where Tradewise comes in. Book a free Rate Review Session with our team.

Book a Free Rate Review Session Explore Business Engine →

Free Charge Out Rate Calculator for Australian Trade Businesses