Accountants Day Rate (Daily) Calculator Examples
Worked examples showing how salary, overheads, billable days and profit margin affect an accountant's daily rate.
These examples show how the calculator converts different practice cost structures and utilisation assumptions into estimated daily charge-out rates.
Sole practitioner with lean overheads
Independent accountant pricing recurring client work.
Input Summary
Salary target
$50,000
Employer costs
10%
Overheads
$8,000
Billable days
200
Profit margin
15%
Calculation Breakdown
- 1Employer costs$50,000 × 10%$5,000
- 2Cost base$50,000 + $5,000 + $8,000$63,000
- 3Revenue needed$63,000 ÷ 0.85$74,117.65
- 4Daily rate$74,117.65 ÷ 200$370.59 per day
Result Summary
Daily rate
$370.59 per day
Accountants Day Rate (Daily) Calculator
Estimated daily rate: about $371 per day.
Growing practice with higher overheads
Practice owner reviewing annual fee and day-rate targets.
Input Summary
Salary target
$80,000
Employer costs
18%
Overheads
$30,000
Billable days
190
Profit margin
25%
Calculation Breakdown
- 1Employer costs$80,000 × 18%$14,400
- 2Cost base$80,000 + $14,400 + $30,000$124,400
- 3Revenue needed$124,400 ÷ 0.75$165,866.67
- 4Daily rate$165,866.67 ÷ 190$873.00 per day
Result Summary
Daily rate
$873.00 per day
Accountants Day Rate (Daily) Calculator
Estimated daily rate: about $873 per day.
Contract accountant with lower utilisation
Contractor planning for an uneven flow of client work.
Input Summary
Salary target
$65,000
Employer costs
12%
Overheads
$15,000
Billable days
160
Profit margin
20%
Calculation Breakdown
- 1Employer costs$65,000 × 12%$7,800
- 2Cost base$65,000 + $7,800 + $15,000$87,800
- 3Revenue needed$87,800 ÷ 0.80$109,750
- 4Daily rate$109,750 ÷ 160$685.94 per day
Result Summary
Daily rate
$685.94 per day
Accountants Day Rate (Daily) Calculator
Estimated daily rate: about $686 per day.
How to Read Your Results
The daily rate is an estimated cost-recovery and profit-planning rate, not a market quote.
Target annual revenue is the revenue needed before applicable sales taxes.
Annual cost base shows the costs included in the calculation.
Compare the result with the rates, service scope and value proposition relevant to your clients.
Test lower billable-day assumptions to understand utilisation risk.
Assumptions & Important Notes
- Examples treat salary and employer costs as annual business costs.
- All revenue is assumed to be billed and collected within the year.
- Rates exclude applicable sales taxes and unentered costs.
Related Examples
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I use these day-rate examples?
Replace each example input with your own salary target, costs, realistic billable days and desired margin.
What if I charge fixed fees instead of daily rates?
Use the daily rate as an internal revenue benchmark, then estimate whether each fixed fee covers the time and costs involved.
Why do fewer billable days have such a large effect?
The same annual revenue requirement must be recovered over fewer invoiceable days.
Ready to calculate your own result?
Use the live calculator with your own inputs, timing, and preferences.