Your numbers
What a event planner should include in expenses
Typical costs include planning software, insurance, travel and vendor deposits management. Add your own and keep receipts for tax time.
Where unbilled time goes
Event Planners commonly lose billable hours to vendor coordination, site visits and client changes. Count these when choosing your billable hours per week.
Pricing models
Common choices are percentage of budget, flat fee per event or hourly for consultations.
Tip: Event days are only part of the job; budget the many planning hours before it.
The math
Gross revenue = ($65,000 + $5,000) ÷ 0.72 = $97,222. Billable hours = (52 − 5) × 20 = 940. Minimum rate = $97,222 ÷ 940 = $103 per hour. See the methodology. Example inputs are illustrations, not market data.
General hourly rate calculator · Tax set-aside · Retainer pricing · All professions
Frequently asked questions
What should a event planner charge per hour?
It depends on your target income, costs and billable time. With $65,000 take-home, $5,000 expenses, a 28% tax set-aside, 5 weeks off and 20 billable hours a week, the minimum comes to about $103 per hour. These are example inputs, so enter your own.
How many billable hours does a event planner really have?
Many freelancers bill fewer hours than they work because of vendor coordination, site visits and client changes. The example uses 20 billable hours a week; track your own time to find your number.
How should a event planner price work?
Common models are percentage of budget, flat fee per event or hourly for consultations.
Is this the rate I should quote?
No. It is the minimum that meets your targets. Add margin for demand, specialty and risk.