Price your lessons like a studio, not a side gig. Free, no signup.
Start in "Your rate": pick a lesson-length preset of 30, 45, or 60 minutes, then enter what you charge per lesson at that length (suggested starting point: $35). The card notes that typical US private lessons run $40 to $90 per hour, but that is context only; enter your own number.
In "Your schedule", add your student count (starting point: 20) and teaching weeks per year (starting point: 48, meaning 52 minus holidays, breaks, and summer off). In "Reality drains", enter average no-shows or late cancels per month (starting point: 2), travel minutes per student (0 if you teach at home), and unpaid prep and admin hours per week (starting point: 3, covering planning, parent messages, scheduling, and recital prep). Tick the make-up lessons checkbox if you offer make-ups, which zeroes out no-show losses.
"Your numbers" recalculates as you type: lessons per year, flat monthly tuition, the cost of the 4x-per-month shortcut, gross and net monthly revenue, annual revenue, real monthly hours, and your effective hourly rate across all hours versus teaching hours only. A verdict badge flags the 4x shortcut as undercharging, no-shows eating over 10% of revenue, or hidden hours cutting your rate by 40% or more.
Example only, not typical earnings. A teacher charges $40 for a 30-minute lesson, has 24 students, teaches 50 weeks a year, averages 2 no-shows a month with no make-up policy, travels 0 minutes per student, and spends 3 unpaid hours a week on prep and admin.
Flat monthly tuition is $40 x 50 / 12 = $166.67 per student, while the 4x-per-month shortcut gives $160, so the shortcut loses $6.67 per student per month, or $1,920 a year across 24 students. Gross monthly revenue is $166.67 x 24 = $4,000, minus $80 in no-show losses (2 x $40), for net revenue of $3,920 a month and $47,040 a year. Real hours are 50 teaching hours plus 13 prep hours = 63 hours a month, giving an effective rate of $3,920 / 63 = $62.22 per hour across all hours, versus $78.40 counting teaching hours only. The verdict flags the 4x shortcut as undercharging and recommends switching to flat monthly tuition.
Why does the tool push flat monthly tuition instead of charging 4x per month?
Flat monthly tuition is your rate times teaching weeks divided by 12, so it matches the lessons you actually deliver and keeps income steady through 5-week months and holidays. The 4x shortcut assumes exactly 48 teaching weeks: teach more than that and you undercharge, teach fewer and you overcharge relative to lessons delivered.
How does the make-up lessons checkbox change the math?
When ticked, the tool treats no-shows as made up later, so lost revenue drops to $0. When unticked, it subtracts your average monthly no-shows times your per-lesson rate from gross revenue. The verdict warns you when no-show losses exceed 10% of gross monthly revenue.
What counts toward my real hours each month?
Three things: teaching hours (students times lesson length times teaching weeks divided by 12), travel hours (students times travel minutes per student times teaching weeks divided by 12), and prep hours (your weekly prep and admin hours times 52 divided by 12). The tool divides net monthly revenue by this total to get your true effective hourly rate.
What does the verdict actually check?
It checks four things in order: whether you entered a rate and student count, whether the 4x-per-month shortcut undercharges you, whether no-shows eat over 10% of revenue, and whether hidden travel and prep hours cut your effective rate by 40% or more versus your teaching-hours-only rate. If none fire, it confirms you are priced like a studio.
Is this tax or financial advice?
No. This is informational only, not tax or legal advice. The tool estimates pricing math for planning only and does not account for taxes, insurance, studio rent, or other business costs. Check with a qualified professional for decisions about pricing, taxes, or business finances.