Cost of doing business (CODB) calculator

Your cost of doing business is what a year of running the business costs, including the salary you want, shared across the sessions and hours you can actually work. Anything you charge below it is paid for out of your own pocket. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

Yearly costs

Gear you use, total paid ($) Years you will use it Software ($ a month) Insurance ($ a year) Website + galleries ($ a month) Marketing ($ a month) Other costs ($ a year) Salary you want ($ a year)

Your working year

Working weeks a year Sessions a week Hours per session (shoot + edit + travel)

Depreciation spreads what you paid for gear over the years you expect to use it, so a camera bought once is paid back by every session. Other costs can include phone, accounting, studio rent, education and bank fees. Taxes are not included.

How it works

Gear depreciation = total paid ÷ years of use. Business costs = depreciation + monthly costs × 12 + yearly costs. Amount to cover = business costs + salary. CODB per session = amount to cover ÷ (weeks × sessions a week). CODB per hour = amount to cover ÷ (sessions per year × hours per session).

Worked example (the values above): $8,000 of gear over 4 years is $2,000 a year. Software $25 × 12 = $300, insurance $600, website and galleries $30 × 12 = $360, marketing $150 × 12 = $1,800 and other costs $980 bring the business costs to $6,040. Add a $45,000 salary and the year has to bring in $51,040, or $4,253.33 a month. 46 weeks × 3 sessions is 138 sessions, so each session has to cover $51,040 ÷ 138 = $369.86. At 5.5 hours per session that is 759 hours a year and $51,040 ÷ 759 = $67.25 an hour.

Turn the hourly figure into a price with the photography pricing calculator or the wedding package calculator. See also all calculators.