Billable Hours Calculator
Estimate how many billable hours you can realistically deliver each month and how that impacts revenue targets. Great for agencies, consultants, and service providers planning utilisation.
Billable capacity inputs
Capacity snapshot
Monthly billable hours
0 hrs
Annual billable hours
0 hrs
Revenue at current rate
$0
Hourly rate to hit target
$0
Improvement ideas
- Automate admin with Zap Bill invoicing to boost billable hours.
- Adjust your pricing with the Hourly Rate Calculator.
- Offer retainers or productised services to stabilise utilisation.
What to do next
Plug these figures into your proposal and contract templates to set expectations. When work is delivered, invoice straight from Zap Bill.
Convert planned hours into profitable invoices
Use the Zap Bill dashboard to track billable hours, save client details, and generate polished invoices in seconds.
Create your free accountWhat's a realistic billable percentage?
Non-billable time (admin, sales, meetings) eats into every working week — these benchmarks show industry norms
50–60%
Solo Freelancer
Heavy business development, admin, and client communication eat into available hours
60–70%
Small Agency
Some shared overhead and a steady client base, but still significant non-billable work
65–75%
Consultant
Higher rates compensate for lower volume. Proposal writing and business travel are common non-billables
70–80%
Mid-Size Agency
Dedicated operations and sales teams handle overhead, freeing billable staff to stay close to capacity
Frequently asked questions
What counts as billable time?
Billable time is any time you spend directly working on a client deliverable that you can legitimately charge for — writing, designing, coding, consulting, reviewing, attending client calls. Non-billable time includes internal meetings, business development, admin, invoicing, and learning. When in doubt, ask: would the client pay if I itemised this?
What percentage of my hours should be billable?
As a solo freelancer, aim for 50–60%. If you're consistently below 40%, look at your sales pipeline or whether unpaid admin is taking too long. Above 75% for extended periods often signals underpricing (clients are happy to consume all your time) or burnout risk. The sweet spot is enough billable work to hit your revenue target without running yourself into the ground.
How do I track billable hours effectively?
Use a timer app (Toggl, Harvest, Clockify) and start it the moment you open a client file. Log hours as you go — retrospective logging is inaccurate and you'll consistently under-report. Create projects per client and tag tasks as billable or non-billable. Review weekly to catch scope creep early.
What is the 1,900-hour rule?
The 1,900-hour rule is a freelancer benchmark: out of ~2,080 working hours per year (52 weeks × 40 hrs), expect roughly 1,900 hours after holidays and sick days — but only about 1,000–1,200 of those are realistically billable once admin and non-client time is accounted for. It's a useful anchor when setting annual revenue targets.
How do I increase my billable hours without working more?
Three levers: (1) Reduce non-billable overhead — automate invoicing, use templates for proposals, batch admin into one day per week. (2) Convert non-billable tasks into billable ones — strategy sessions, audits, and training that you used to do for free can often become paid services. (3) Raise your rate so fewer hours hit your revenue target.