Accountants Day Rate (Hourly) Calculator Examples
Worked examples showing how income targets, overheads, billable time and profit buffers affect accountant day and hourly rates.
These worked examples use different capacity and cost assumptions to show how a rate target changes. They are planning illustrations rather than market-rate guidance.
Solo accountant with standard capacity
Income goal of £80,000 with 190 billable days and 8 billable hours each day.
Input Summary
Desired income
£80,000
Overheads
£20,000
Profit buffer
10%
Billable days
190 days
Billable hours per day
8 hours
Calculation Breakdown
- 1Revenue target(£80,000 + £20,000) / 0.90£111,111.11
- 2Day rate£111,111.11 / 190£584.80
- 3Hourly rate£584.80 / 8£73.10
Result Summary
Hourly rate
£73.10
Accountants Day Rate (Hourly) Calculator
Estimated target: £585 per day or £73.10 per hour.
Part-time bookkeeping and accounting practice
A part-time practice has 120 billable days and averages 6 billable hours per day.
Input Summary
Desired income
£45,000
Overheads
£9,000
Profit buffer
10%
Billable days
120 days
Billable hours per day
6 hours
Calculation Breakdown
- 1Revenue target(£45,000 + £9,000) / 0.90£60,000
- 2Day rate£60,000 / 120£500
- 3Hourly rate£500 / 6£83.33
Result Summary
Hourly rate
£83.33
Accountants Day Rate (Hourly) Calculator
Estimated target: £500 per day or £83.33 per hour.
Accounting contractor with higher overheads
A contractor targets £100,000 income, has £35,000 overheads and expects 200 billable days.
Input Summary
Desired income
£100,000
Overheads
£35,000
Profit buffer
15%
Billable days
200 days
Billable hours per day
7.5 hours
Calculation Breakdown
- 1Revenue target(£100,000 + £35,000) / 0.85£158,823.53
- 2Day rate£158,823.53 / 200£794.12
- 3Hourly rate£794.12 / 7.5£105.88
Result Summary
Hourly rate
£105.88
Accountants Day Rate (Hourly) Calculator
Estimated target: £794 per day or £105.88 per hour.
How to Read Your Results
Treat the hourly result as a revenue planning baseline, not an automatic client quote.
The day rate is the same revenue target expressed per billable day.
Compare billable days with your actual calendar and time records to test whether the assumption is realistic.
A lower billable-time percentage usually requires a higher rate to deliver the same annual revenue.
Review inputs when costs, availability, service mix or income goals change.
Assumptions & Important Notes
- All amounts use the same currency.
- The examples exclude personal taxes and indirect taxes.
- Billable days are assumed to be fully utilised at the stated billable hours.
- The profit buffer is retained from revenue after income and overhead requirements are covered.
Related Examples
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can a part-time accountant need a higher hourly rate?
A part-time practice may have fewer chargeable hours over which to recover annual costs and income requirements.
Do more billable days reduce the required day rate?
Yes. With the same annual revenue target, more billable days spread the target across more invoiceable time.
Should I use 8 billable hours for every working day?
Use the average hours you can genuinely invoice, not the length of the workday.
Does this calculator set a client-facing price?
No. It estimates a baseline revenue rate; service scope, risk and market conditions can affect final pricing.
Ready to calculate your own result?
Use the live calculator with your own inputs, timing, and preferences.