Care Agency Margin & Rate Card Calculator
See the gross margin on every hour before you agree the rate card.
Employer National Insurance, pension and holiday pay accrual. A typical combined figure is 18–25%.
Healthy margin — above the 20% benchmark many UK agencies target.
Thin margin — review the rate card or shift mix before scaling this contract.
Loss-making — the charge rate does not cover the true cost of the carer.
Related Reading
See how rate cards and multi-rate billing work in the care agency invoicing software guide.
Care Agency Margin & Rate Card Calculator
See the gross margin on every hour before you agree a client rate. Enter the charge rate, the carer pay rate and your employer on-costs to check a contract is profitable.
Why use the Care Agency Margin & Rate Card Calculator
True carer cost
Pay rate plus employer NI, pension and holiday accrual.
Margin per hour and %
See the gross profit on every billed hour.
Benchmark flag
Warn when a rate falls below a healthy 20% margin.
How it works
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1
Enter the charge rate
Use the client hourly or shift rate.
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2
Add the pay rate and on-costs
Include employer National Insurance, pension and holiday.
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3
Read the margin
See gross margin per hour and as a percentage.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good gross margin for a care agency? +
Many UK agencies target a gross margin of around 20% or more per hour after employer on-costs. Below that, overheads quickly erode profitability.
What are employer on-costs? +
Costs on top of the carer pay — employer National Insurance, pension contributions, holiday pay accrual and sometimes training and uniform — typically 18-25% combined.
Why can a 20% margin per hour still fail? +
If overheads, unfilled shifts and travel are not recovered elsewhere, a thin per-hour margin can still produce a loss. Model the whole contract, not just one rate.