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What you actually need to charge.

Pick a take-home target, add the overhead you're carrying, count the hours you can really bill. The rate is what's left.

Yearly take-home target

What you want left in your pocket after taxes are paid (rough — use net, not gross).

Yearly overhead

Truck, tools, insurance, fuel, phone, software, shop rent — anything you'd pay even with zero jobs.

Self-employment / income tax buffer

$ %

Rough effective rate on the take-home you'll owe to the IRS + state. 25% is a common solo-1099 ballpark.

Billable hours per week

Not hours worked — hours you actually invoice. Driving, quoting, and admin don't count.

Working weeks per year

52 minus vacation, holidays, and sick days. 46–50 is realistic for solo trades.

You need to charge

—

Annual revenue needed—

Billable hours / year—

Tax set-aside—

Why this number is usually higher than what people charge: most solo trades bill way fewer hours than they work. Driving, quoting, sourcing parts, invoicing, and chasing payments don't bill — and they eat half your week. If your rate doesn't account for them, you're paying yourself less than minimum wage for them.