Your numbers
What a social media manager should include in expenses
Typical costs include scheduling and analytics tools, design apps, stock content. Add your own and keep receipts for tax time.
Where unbilled time goes
Social Media Managers commonly lose billable hours to approvals, community replies, reporting and platform changes. Count these when choosing your billable hours per week.
Pricing models
Common choices are monthly retainers by platform and post volume, hourly for audits.
Tip: Define included posts and replies per month so scope does not creep.
The math
Gross revenue = ($60,000 + $4,000) ÷ 0.72 = $88,889. Billable hours = (52 − 5) × 24 = 1,128. Minimum rate = $88,889 ÷ 1,128 = $79 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 social media manager charge per hour?
It depends on your target income, costs and billable time. With $60,000 take-home, $4,000 expenses, a 28% tax set-aside, 5 weeks off and 24 billable hours a week, the minimum comes to about $79 per hour. These are example inputs, so enter your own.
How many billable hours does a social media manager really have?
Many freelancers bill fewer hours than they work because of approvals, community replies, reporting and platform changes. The example uses 24 billable hours a week; track your own time to find your number.
How should a social media manager price work?
Common models are monthly retainers by platform and post volume, hourly for audits.
Is this the rate I should quote?
No. It is the minimum that meets your targets. Add margin for demand, specialty and risk.