Your numbers
What a marketing consultant should include in expenses
Typical costs include analytics and ad tools, reporting software, courses. Add your own and keep receipts for tax time.
Where unbilled time goes
Marketing Consultants commonly lose billable hours to audits, strategy decks and reporting. Count these when choosing your billable hours per week.
Pricing models
Common choices are monthly retainers, fixed audits, or hourly advisory.
Tip: Anchor retainers to deliverables, not hours, to avoid being measured by time.
The math
Gross revenue = ($100,000 + $7,000) ÷ 0.72 = $148,611. Billable hours = (52 − 5) × 22 = 1,034. Minimum rate = $148,611 ÷ 1,034 = $144 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 marketing consultant charge per hour?
It depends on your target income, costs and billable time. With $100,000 take-home, $7,000 expenses, a 28% tax set-aside, 5 weeks off and 22 billable hours a week, the minimum comes to about $144 per hour. These are example inputs, so enter your own.
How many billable hours does a marketing consultant really have?
Many freelancers bill fewer hours than they work because of audits, strategy decks and reporting. The example uses 22 billable hours a week; track your own time to find your number.
How should a marketing consultant price work?
Common models are monthly retainers, fixed audits, or hourly advisory.
Is this the rate I should quote?
No. It is the minimum that meets your targets. Add margin for demand, specialty and risk.