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Calculate consulting fees from your billable days, operating costs, and income goals. Get a recommended daily billable rate and hourly consulting rate you can use for pricing and proposals.
Last updated: January 28, 2026
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Used to convert your daily billable rate into an hourly rate.
Required annual revenue
$55,500.00
Billable days
231 days
Daily billable rate
$240.26 / day
Daily rate = (Target income + Annual operating costs) ÷ Billable days
Hourly rate
$30.03 / hour
Hourly rate = Daily billable rate ÷ Working hours per day
Required projects per year (approx.)
22.2
Rates shown are the minimum to cover costs and hit your target income.
A consulting fee metric translates your income goals, operating overhead, and realistic billable capacity into sustainable pricing. Instead of guessing a market rate, it gives you a floor price grounded in business economics.
This matters because many consultants underprice by ignoring non-billable work such as proposals, sales calls, administration, invoicing, and upskilling. A data-driven rate helps protect margin and long-term viability.
Primary use cases include setting hourly and day rates, pricing retainers, validating project quotes, and determining how many client engagements are needed annually to reach revenue targets.
Billable Days = Weekdays - (Holidays + Sick Days + Non-Client Days)
Required Revenue = Target Income + Annual Operating Costs
Daily Rate = Required Revenue / Billable Days
Hourly Rate = Daily Rate / Billable Hours per Day
This model gives a minimum viable consulting rate. You can then apply strategic premiums for specialization, urgency, complexity, and measurable client impact.
Target income: $70,000
Costs: $8,000
Billable days: 220
Daily floor: about $355/day
Target income: $140,000
Costs: $20,000
Billable days: 200
Daily floor: about $800/day
Required revenue: $120,000
Average project value: $10,000
Minimum annual projects needed: 12
Use to plan pipeline targets
Compare how billable utilization and overhead levels affect recommended consulting rates.
| Scenario | Billable Days | Annual Costs | Target Income | Indicative Daily Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lean operation | 230 | $8,000 | $80,000 | ~$383/day |
| Balanced practice | 210 | $15,000 | $100,000 | ~$548/day |
| Premium specialist | 190 | $25,000 | $140,000 | ~$868/day |
| Low utilization risk | 170 | $18,000 | $100,000 | ~$694/day |
Consulting fees should cover both billable work and the time you spend running the business (marketing, admin, sales, training). This calculator uses billable days, operating costs, and a target income to estimate the minimum rates required for a sustainable consulting practice.
Billable days = Weekdays − (Holidays + Sick days + Non-client days)Non-client days include marketing, admin, proposals, bookkeeping, and any work you can’t bill to a client.
Daily rate = (Target income + Annual operating costs) ÷ Billable daysThis provides a minimum daily billable rate. You can then refine it based on expertise, market demand, and project complexity.
Hourly rate = Daily rate ÷ Working hours per dayUse billable hours (not just total hours in your day) if some hours are typically non-billable.
Daily billable rate
$240.26
Hourly rate
$30.03
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Suggested hashtags: #Consulting #Freelance #Pricing #Business #Finance