What should I charge for tutoring?

Tutoring looks like pure profit — no truck, no materials — but unpaid prep time, scheduling gaps, summer slowdowns, and the occasional no-show all eat into it. Price a session from the time it really takes plus a markup for those unpaid hours, rather than copying what the tutoring platforms suggest.

Price a session the way contractors actually do it: add up what the session costs you, then add a markup for your overhead and profit. Fill in your numbers — your bid updates as you type.

What this session costs you

Materials & supplies ($) — your cost for everything you'll buy for this session

Other direct costs ($) — fuel, equipment rental, disposal fees, permits

Your labor

Not sure what to charge for your time? Employed tutors earn a median of about $20.84/hr (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A self-employed labor rate is typically higher — roughly $30–$40/hr (about 1.5–2×) — because it also has to cover self-employment tax, the benefits an employer would otherwise pay, and the hours that cannot be billed.

Hours this session will take

Your hourly labor rate ($) — what your time is worth per hour; e.g. $30–$40

Hired help ($) — paid to a helper or subcontractor; leave blank if solo

Your markup — overhead & profit

This is where your business actually makes money. Industry standard is roughly 20–30% overall for contractors; solo operators often need the higher end to cover insurance, tools, truck, admin time, and slow weeks. Adjust to fit your business.

Markup on your costs (%)

Materials & supplies	$0
Your labor (0 hrs × $0)	$0
Hired help	$0
Other direct costs	$0
Your costs (subtotal)	$0
Markup (30% — overhead & profit)	$0
Bid price	$0

Pricing method and standard percentages from contractor-industry sources (Angi, Buildern, NAHB): overall contractor markup 20–30%, materials markup 7.5–35%, labor markup 25–50%, recommended profit margin 15–25%. A markup is a percentage of your costs; the resulting margin (share of the bid that's profit) is lower — both are shown above. These are general benchmarks, not a guarantee for your market.

What your markup has to cover

The markup in your bid covers the costs no single job shows. For tutoring, your overhead typically includes curriculum and workbooks, online whiteboard or scheduling software, background-check fees, mileage to students, and platform commissions. None of that appears on one job, but all of it is paid out of the markup added to every job. Published contractor guidance (Angi, NAHB) puts a typical overall markup at 20–30%.

Be realistic about your hours

A tutor teaching 18 student-hours a week often works 25+ real hours once prep and travel are counted. Tutoring is also seasonal — most tutors get 35–42 strong weeks a year, not 52. Use realistic numbers, or the slow summer months will leave you short on income.

Tutor pricing FAQs

Should I charge less when tutoring online?

Many tutors charge the same rate online and in person — your expertise is identical, and you save travel time. If you discount online sessions at all, keep it small (10–15%), not half price.

How should I handle cancellations and no-shows?

Adopt a written 24-hour cancellation policy and charge 50–100% for late cancels. One unpaid no-show a week can quietly cut your effective hourly earnings by 10% or more, so price each session to account for the occasional gap.

What about tutoring platform fees?

Platforms commonly take 20–40% of your rate. If you list at $50/hr on a platform that takes 30%, your real rate is $35 — run this calculator on what you receive, not what the student pays, or raise your platform price to compensate.