Calculate Your Effective Hourly Rate

Think you know your hourly rate? Think again.

How much are you really making per hour? Probably less than you think.

It all comes down to your effective hourly rate – which is the rate you actually earn once you factor in all the extra hours you work (but don’t get paid for), plus the value of your benefits (or lack thereof).

Believe it or not, a typical relief vet charging $100 per hour is actually only making around $70 per hour when you factor in lost benefits and additional self-employment expenses.

And associates on pro-sal? Your benefits are valuable, but working like a dog is crushing your effective hourly rate. Our estimates are that you’re probably closer to $72 per hour.

Use our calculator to figure out your current effective hourly rate. We’d love to chat with you about what you discover.

Effective Hourly Rate Calculator

Are you an Associate Vet or a Relief Vet?

Your Current Annual Salary

What is your current annual salary (this includes any production bonuses)?

How many hours/week are you SCHEDULED to work for this salary?

But let's be real... how many extra hours/week do you ACTUALLY work?

Take into account all extra time you are doing something work related (i.e, working through your lunch break, staying late to finish up cases/records, writing records from home, on-call for hospitalized/boarding patients, etc). Please enter the time in hours.

Based on this information, your hourly rate is:

Now let's do the math to find out what your effective hourly rate with benefits is.

Benefits

Wage/employer tax

We've locked this at 7.5% as a benchmark.

Value of tax

Your employer's annual contribution to healthcare premiums

(If not offered, enter "0". If offered, but not sure of the amount, use benchmark of $10,800.)

Your employer's match of your 401k/IRA contribution

(Enter as %. If they match you up to 3%, enter 3.)

Value of additional income from 401k/IRA match

How many hours of PTO do you get?

(Enter as number of hours.)

Value of PTO hours

(Based on the average base rate)

CE allowance and licensing fees paid for by employer each year

(Enter dollar amount. If not offered, enter "0".)

Additional PTO given for CE

(Enter as number of hours. If not offered, enter "0".)

Please enter a number greater than or equal to 0.

Value of CE PTO Hours

Worker's Comp, paid for by your employer each year

(If unsure, use benchmark of $1,000.)

Disability Insurance, paid for by your employer each year

(If unsure, use benchmark of $1,000.)

Gym/gas/pet expenses/mental health, paid for by your employer annually

(Enter dollar value of any stipends, reimbursements, or memberships your employer offers for these categories. If none are offered, enter "0".)

Malpractice insurance, paid for by your employer

(If unsure, use benchmark of $400.)

Total Annual Salary

Total Value of Benefits

Total Compensation Package

Actual Number of Hours Worked Per Week

Hourly Rate

Effective Hourly Rate with Benefits

Difference

Your Current Annual Salary

What is your hourly bill rate?

On average, how many billable hours do you work every week?

Based on this information, your expected annual salary should be:

...But what you bill isn't actually what you make. Let's dig into the details to find out what your effective hourly rate is.

How many extra hours per week do you ACTUALLY work?

Take into account all extra hours you put into the business (i.e. sending invoices, processing payments, balancing your P&L, negotiating contracts with new practices, responding to outreach from existing and new clients, and any extra time spent commuting, etc.) Please enter the time in hours.

Independent Contractor Expenses

Additional wage/employment tax (enter as a percentage)

We locked this at 7.5% as a benchmark. This is the other half of your income taxes that would be covered by an employer if you were a W2 employee.

Value of Tax

Annual Healthcare Coverage

(Include your monthly expenses for health, dental, and vision insurance then multiply by 12.)

Annual CE and licensing expenses

(If unsure, use benchmark of $2,500.)

How much time do you take off per year for CE?

(Enter as hours. For example, if you take off 3 days, and you typically work 10 hour shifts, enter "30".)

Lost income due to CE time off

How many hours of time off do you give yourself annually?

(This is the number of hours you TAKE OFF for vacation, mental health days, holidays, sick days etc. that you would normally be working. You should not include your regular, weekly days off like weekends. Enter as whole number of hours.)

Lost income due to time off

Annual accounting / invoicing expenses

(In unsure, use benchmark of $1,000.)

Annual cost of malpractice insurance

(If unsure, use benchmark of $400.)

Annual cost of disability insurance

(If unsure, use benchmark of $1,000.)

Gym/gas/pet/mental health expenses

(It's common for employers today to offer stipends or reimbursement for commuting costs, gym memberships, pet insurance, and mental health expenses. How much do you spend on these categories annually that you'd expect from an employer?)

Expected Annual Salary (before expenses)

Total Annual Self-Employment Expenses

Real Salary (after self-employment expenses)

Actual Number of Hours Worked Per Week

Bill Rate

Effective Hourly Rate After Expenses

Difference

Now that you know what you're really earning, you have to ask: is it worth it?

When’s the last time you took a real vacation without feeling guilty? Is your mental health suffering? Is the office drama draining your energy? Feel like you’re not giving your family the attention they deserve? Most importantly, how long can you keep going at this pace?

Now that you know what you're really earning, you have to ask: is it worth it?

Do you love the flexibility but wish your job was more stable? Are you tired of chasing the next gig? Do you miss the benefits and community of associate jobs? Do you really have the freedom you thought you’d have?

Why keep doing relief on your own when you could have full benefits and support from some of the top vets in the field?

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Think you know your hourly rate? Think again.