Start from what you want to take home and work backward to a price per job that covers your costs, taxes and slow weeks.
Pick the closest example, then change any number to match your business.
Example numbers are rough starting points, not market rates for your area. Ask a tax pro what to set aside for self-employment tax.
Add your take-home goal, jobs per week and hours per job to see your price.
Keep this breakdown.We'll email you the full breakdown so you can come back to it when you set your packages.
Start from the yearly amount you want to take home, divide it by the number of jobs you can realistically do in a year, then add your taxes, fixed costs and supplies per job. That is the least you can charge without losing money. Most new service businesses then add 10 to 20% for cancellations and slow weeks.
It depends on your area, hours and whether you supply the alcohol, so work from your own numbers rather than a national average. Enter your income goal, how many events you do per week and your costs per event, and the calculator shows the per-event price that actually covers them.
Many self-employed people set aside 25 to 30% of what they take home, because self-employment tax is added on top of income tax. Your real number depends on your income and deductions, so confirm it with a tax professional.
Your break-even price is the amount per job that covers your pay goal, taxes, fixed costs and supplies, with nothing left over. Charging less than that means each job loses money.
Posting "starting at" prices usually helps. Customers who see a starting price and still contact you are more ready to book, and you spend less time on calls with people who were only price shopping.
