The free calculator
- The retainer price for one scope, calculated once
- You re-issue and chase the invoice every month yourself
- No record of what’s been billed or collected per client
Retainer pricing calculator for client work.
Model a monthly fee from included hours, hourly delivery cost, allocated overhead and a target margin. See the twelve-month scenario and implied selling rate. Free, instant, no signup.
No signup Instant results Cost-based estimate
Your numbers
Enter positive monthly hours and a non-negative hourly delivery cost. Blank optional overhead and margin count as zero; margin must be between 0% and 99.99%. The filled values are examples, not market benchmarks.
Use delivery cost, not an already profitable selling rate. If that cost already includes overhead, leave the additional overhead at zero to avoid counting it twice.
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Retainer pricing calculatorRetainer estimate from your delivery costs
SUMMARY| Pricing breakdown | Amount |
|---|---|
| Delivery cost before overhead | $4,000.00 |
| Allocated overhead amount | $600.00 |
| Modeled margin amount | $1,150.00 |
| Monthly retainer price | $5,750.00 |
| Twelve-month fee scenario | $69,000.00 |
| Implied hourly selling rate | $143.75 |
Estimated monthly retainer$5,750.00
The twelve-month scenario assumes twelve identical monthly fees. It does not establish a signed commitment, collected cash, renewal or after-tax profit. Revisit the price when scope, delivery costs or reserved capacity changes, using the review date agreed in the contract.
The connected version
- Recurring invoices bill the retainer on schedule, every month
- Recurring invoices and automated reminders keep it paid
- Retainer revenue is reported per client
14-day free trial. Card required. After the trial: from $29/month. Renews automatically every month until you cancel. Cancel anytime in Settings → Billing.
01
Enter the scope
The monthly hours included in the retainer and your delivery cost per hour.
02
Load overhead and margin
Apply any overhead not already in delivery cost, then choose a margin on the modeled monthly fee.
03
Read the retainer
The estimated fee, twelve-month scenario and implied selling rate update as you type.
This number works once. Workspace369 makes it a workflow.
Workspace369 — the connected version
- Recurring invoices bill the retainer on schedule
- Payment links collect online; payment plans start on Specialist
- Follow-up reminders run automatically with automations
- Retainer revenue is reported per client — status always visible
14-day free trial. Card required. After the trial: from $29/month. Renews automatically every month until you cancel. Cancel anytime in Settings → Billing.
Free done-for-you setup until December 31, 2026. After signup, claim free setup in your workspace. See free setup
If you run client retainers, Workspace369 keeps retainers, recurring invoices and tracked time on one client record. Software for consulting firms
How is a cost-based retainer calculated?
Delivery cost = monthly hours × hourly delivery cost. Loaded cost = delivery cost × (1 + overhead percentage ÷ 100). Estimated monthly fee = loaded cost ÷ (1 − target margin ÷ 100). Margin is a share of the final fee, not a markup added to cost.
For example, 40 hours at a $100 hourly delivery cost gives $4,000. Add 15% overhead to reach $4,600, then divide by 0.8 for a 20% target margin: $5,750 per month. Twelve identical fees total $69,000; the implied selling rate is $143.75 per included hour. These are illustrative inputs, not agency averages.
Specify included deliverables, revision limits, overage pricing, unused-hours treatment and cancellation terms in the agreement. A fee estimate does not guarantee the costs, utilization, client acceptance or payment timing needed to achieve the modeled margin.
Use published agency pricing evidence as scope-specific context, not a universal target. Compare fixed-fee, hourly and retainer billing, then track actual agency profitability against your estimate.