A few years ago I put together a simple Target Hourly Rate Calculator. You put in what you wanted to make in a year, your schedule, your split and your expenses, and it gave you an hourly rate. It did the job, and a lot of you used it.
v2 is a full rebuild. It still answers “what should I charge?”, but now you can work it in any direction and watch every number update as you go.
What’s new
- Everything updates live. Drag a slider or type a number and the rest recalculates instantly. No submit button.
- Lock the number that matters to you. Lock your yearly take-home to see the rate you need to charge. Lock your hourly rate to see what your current rate actually earns you over a year.
- Lock both. Set the income you want and the rate you want, then pick one setting to adjust on its own. That can be hours per day, days per week, weeks off, your split or your expenses. It shows what it would take to hit both numbers.
- See where the money goes. A breakdown shows your total billed, the shop’s cut, your expenses, and what you take home per month, week and day. It also shows what you really keep per hour, which is usually the eye-opener.
- Reality Check. A toggle to factor in taxes and unpaid time, and see your real hourly across all the hours you work.
- Day rate included. If you charge by the day, type in a day rate and the hourly rate follows.
- Share it. “Share my numbers” makes a link with your numbers already filled in. It’s handy for comparing setups with another artist or talking through a raise with your shop. “Share calculator” just sends the tool.
- It remembers you. Your numbers are saved in your own browser, so they’re there next time. Nothing gets sent anywhere.
How to use it
- Pick your anchor. Decide whether you’re starting from the income you want or the rate you charge, and lock that one.
- Set your schedule honestly. Count weeks off for vacations, holidays and sick days. For hours per day, count only time with the machine running. Consults, drawing, setup and cleanup don’t count here.
- Enter your split and expenses. Your split is the percent of each tattoo you keep. Expenses are what you pay monthly out of your own share: supplies, booth rent, software, insurance.
- Play with it. Try a 4-day week, take an extra two weeks off, or change your split, and see what each change does to your rate or your income.
A couple of notes
All figures are before taxes, so set aside part of your take-home for that. The calculator also assumes you’re booked for every hour you enter. If your chair isn’t full every day, use the hours you’re actually tattooing rather than the hours you’re at the shop.
The original calculator is still up here if you prefer the simple version.
If you find it useful, send it to an artist who’s been undercharging. We all know one.
Made by Jukzta for Tattoolset.com
Usage & License
Free to use. Anyone can use the Hourly Rate Calculator on Tattoolset.com, as often as they like, at no cost. Use your results however you want: for your own pricing, talking through rates with your shop, or teaching apprentices.
Share the link, not the code. You’re welcome to share the calculator or your results links anywhere: social media, forums, group chats. Please don’t copy, rehost, embed, modify or resell the calculator or its code without written permission.
No guarantees. Results are estimates, before taxes, based only on the numbers you enter. They’re not financial, tax or legal advice. Use your own judgment, or talk to an accountant, before making business decisions.
Privacy. Your numbers are saved only in your own browser. Nothing you enter is collected or sent anywhere.
