Free calculator for makers

Pay yourself calculator

See what your handmade business really pays you per hour, or how much you'd need to sell to pay yourself what you want. Free, no account, no email.

What do you want to know?

Sales in the month ($) Everything customers paid, all channels. Cost to make what you sold ($) Ingredients and packaging. Not sure? Selling fees (% of sales) Etsy, card fees and so on. Compare selling fees Other costs that month ($) Booth fees, plan fees, shipping supplies, ads. Hours you worked that month Making, packing, shows, photos, emails and bookkeeping. It all counts.

Pay yourself ($ per hour) Optional: an hourly pay you'd be happy with. Shows how far you are from it.

A soap maker's October: $2,400 in sales, 120 hours.

You paid yourself

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Waiting for your numbers

An estimate before income tax and self-employment tax. Set some aside for taxes.

CraftWiseApp adds up your sales, your cost to make each product and your selling fees for you, so you can see what's left every month.

Start Free with CraftWiseApp Free plan, no card needed.

Why your hourly pay matters

Sales can look great while your time is barely paid. $2,400 in a month feels like a good month, but after $720 to make the products, $144 in selling fees, $180 in other costs and 120 hours of work, it's $11.30 an hour.

Knowing that number tells you what to fix first: your prices, your costs, or the products that take the longest to make.

Doing a craft show? The craft show profit calculator works out your pay per hour for a single show.

Three ways to raise it

Price for your time. Check your margin with the markup vs margin calculator.
Make in bigger batches, so each item takes fewer minutes.
Drop or reprice the products that sell slowly or take longest.

Questions makers ask

Should I count the time I spend on social media and shows?

Yes. Making, packing, shows, photos, posts, emails and bookkeeping are all part of running the business. If you only count making time, your hourly pay looks better than it really is.

How much should I pay myself from my handmade business?

There's no single right number. A good place to start is what you'd want to earn per hour at a similar job near you. Then use "What do I need to sell?" to see whether your prices and sales can get you there.

Is this before or after taxes?

Before. The calculator doesn't take off income tax or self-employment tax, so set some of your pay aside for taxes. A tax professional can tell you how much for your situation.

What goes in other costs?

Anything the business paid for that month that isn't in your cost to make: booth fees, software plans, shipping supplies, ads, website and equipment.

Is it free?

Yes. It works right on this page with no account and no email address.