Most specialist contractors can't actually tell you if their rate card works.
They can tell you what they charge. They can tell you it "feels about right," or that it's "in line with the market." What they can't tell you is whether that rate covers the true cost of doing the work — because the rate was never tested against the cost base underneath it. It was set by feel, benchmarked against competitors who were also guessing, and never checked.
This free calculator checks it.
You already know roughly what the work costs you. Put that in, build your real billable capacity — the calculator strips out holiday, sickness and the dead time you can never sell, so you can't kid yourself with "365 days times eight hours" — add your overheads, and it tells you one thing plainly: what you must add to your cost, per hour or per day, just to break even. Below that line you're not making thin margin. You're paying clients to take work off you, and you might not even know it's happening.
It also runs a short, honest stress test. Enter what you charge now, and it tells you whether you're even above break-even. Most people sit closer to the line than they'd like.
It stops at break-even on purpose. Break-even keeps the lights on — it doesn't build a business. What you add on top to actually make money is a commercial decision, not a spreadsheet output, and getting your true cost honest from first principles is deeper work than any free download can do for you. This tool gives you the floor. Knowing where the floor is, is the first honest step.
