Enter your income goal, overhead costs, and working hours. Get your recommended hourly rate — GST-exclusive and GST-inclusive — in seconds.
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Adjust the defaults to match your situation. Results update when you click Calculate.
Used to gross up your salary. Check IRD for your bracket.
52 minus leave & public holidays. 46 is a realistic starting point.
Not all 40hrs are billable. Allow for travel, admin, quoting.
Buffer for slow periods, bad debts, and business growth. 10–20% is typical.
Enter your desired annual take-home pay. The calculator grosses this up for income tax to work out how much revenue you need to generate before tax.
Add annual business costs — van, insurance, tools, accounting. These sit on top of your salary and must be covered by your rate before you earn a dollar.
Not every hour is billable. Allow for travel, quoting, admin, and non-productive time. 30 billable hours per week is realistic for most sole traders.
Typical annual overhead ranges for a sole trader electrician in NZ.
| Cost item | Typical range (NZD/yr) |
|---|---|
| Vehicle (fuel, WOF, rego, insurance) | $6,000–$12,000 |
| Public liability & tools insurance | $2,500–$4,500 |
| Tools & equipment replacement | $1,500–$3,000 |
| Accounting / bookkeeping | $1,200–$2,500 |
| Phone & internet | $1,000–$1,800 |
| EWRB annual practising licence | $400–$600 |
| Software & subscriptions | $600–$1,500 |
| Total typical overhead | $13,200–$25,900 |
Figures are indicative for 2026. Actual costs vary by region and business setup.
NZ electricians typically charge $85–$130/hr excluding GST for residential and commercial work. Specialist work (switchboards, three-phase, industrial) can be higher. Your actual rate depends on your overhead, income goal, location, and market.
Yes. If you are GST-registered (required once turnover exceeds $60,000/year), you add 15% GST on top. Your charge-out rate is the GST-exclusive price. Show the rate, GST amount, and GST-inclusive total separately on invoices.
A realistic figure for a sole trader in NZ is 1,200–1,400 billable hours per year. That is 46 working weeks at 26–30 billable hours per week. Not every hour is billable — allow for travel, quoting, admin, and tool maintenance.
Include: vehicle running costs, liability and tools insurance, tools and equipment replacement, accounting fees, phone and internet, EWRB practising licence, and software. A typical NZ sole trader has $15,000–$25,000 in annual overhead.
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