{
  "slug": "photography-day-rate",
  "title": "Photographer Day Rate Calculator",
  "heading": "Photographer Day Rate Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/photography-day-rate",
  "summary": "Back into a day rate that covers gear, overhead, and taxes.",
  "description": "A sustainable day rate is not what competitors charge — it is your annual cost of doing business plus the salary you want, divided by the number of billable days you can realistically shoot in a year.",
  "formula": "Day rate = (target salary + overhead + gear replacement + tax) ÷ billable days per year.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=photography-day-rate",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "salary",
      "label": "Target take-home salary",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 70000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "overhead",
      "label": "Annual overhead (software, insurance, studio)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 12000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "gear",
      "label": "Annual gear replacement fund",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 6000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "tax",
      "label": "Effective tax rate",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 28,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 60
    },
    {
      "id": "shootDays",
      "label": "Billable shoot days per year",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 95,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": 300
    },
    {
      "id": "editHours",
      "label": "Edit hours per shoot day",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 5,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "rate",
      "label": "Minimum day rate",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "halfDay",
      "label": "Half-day rate",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "total",
      "label": "Annual revenue required",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "perHour",
      "label": "Effective hourly incl. editing",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "weekly",
      "label": "Average weekly billing",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Target take-home salary: 70000 $",
      "Annual overhead (software, insurance, studio): 12000 $",
      "Annual gear replacement fund: 6000 $",
      "Effective tax rate: 28 %",
      "Billable shoot days per year: 95",
      "Edit hours per shoot day: 5"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Minimum day rate: $1,213",
      "Half-day rate: $788",
      "Annual revenue required: $115,222",
      "Effective hourly incl. editing: $93.30",
      "Average weekly billing: $2,400"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter target take-home salary ($).",
      "Enter annual overhead (software, insurance, studio) ($).",
      "Enter annual gear replacement fund ($).",
      "Enter effective tax rate (%).",
      "Enter billable shoot days per year.",
      "Enter edit hours per shoot day.",
      "Read your minimum day rate on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "salary": 42000,
        "overhead": 7000,
        "gear": 3500,
        "tax": 17,
        "shootDays": 57,
        "editHours": 3
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "salary": 70000,
        "overhead": 12000,
        "gear": 6000,
        "tax": 28,
        "shootDays": 95,
        "editHours": 5
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "salary": 112000,
        "overhead": 19000,
        "gear": 9500,
        "tax": 45,
        "shootDays": 152,
        "editHours": 8
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Why not just match local pricing?",
      "a": "Local pricing tells you what the market bears, not whether the work is profitable for your cost structure. Use this number as your floor and market comparison as your ceiling."
    },
    {
      "q": "How many billable days are realistic?",
      "a": "Full-time working photographers average 90–130 shoot days a year. The rest goes to editing, sales, admin, and travel — which is exactly why the day rate has to carry them."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/photo-storage-cost",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/video-production-quote"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Photographer Day Rate Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/photography-day-rate)"
}