Sliding Scale Calculator

Input client’s annual income and your base rate to determine sliding scale discount. Can be used for hourly fees, workshops, retreats, etc.

Different organizations use different values for “full fee”/”high income” thresholds.

So the default “high income” here, defaulting in this calculator to $81,000/year, is somewhat arbitrary.

Another way to look at it: GoBankingRates calculates the amount needed to live comfortably in major US cities in 2021. Seattle: $115,722 if you rent ($144,786 if you own). They base this on the “50/30/20 rule”, “which calls for half your income to go to necessities, 20% to savings and investments and 30% for splurges and fun.”

It’s a matter of personal values, I think, and personally, I don’t think someone making $100K/year in Seattle needs a sliding scale rate for therapy. Therapy is probably not considered a “necessity” according to GoBankingRates (though perhaps it should). Personally (again), I think the cost of therapy should hurt just a little. It shouldn’t break you, and if you are already suffering financially, “just a little” could be $5 per 50-minute session.

So, take someone is making $80K per year (net, after above deductions are considered). If they are spending $58K on necessities (~50% of $115,722), that leaves $22,000 for investments and fun. If they spend $7,500 on therapy for a year ($150 full fee at 50 sessions/year), that leaves $14,500 for investing and fun. It’s not what GoBankingRate would call “comfortable”, but hopefully they find that they are “living comfortably in Seattle” because they are living a better life from the inside out, not because they can purchase luxuries (nothing inherently wrong with a few luxuries, it’s just a trade off).

Take someone else making $40K per year. That’s pretty rough for a single person to do in Seattle. The calculator, set at its defaults, suggests $107 per 50 minute session. Let’s round down to $105. That’s about $5000 per year for weekly therapy. That’s going to hurt, and some people may not be able to make that work. So you may want to consider offering an even lower rate.

“How can I make this affordable for you?” is a great question, and one you should be able to afford to ask a certain percentage of your clients if your base rate is set high enough to keep you comfortable enough.

I think it’s worth asking yourself, as a practitioner, what would you pay, making what you make, to someone for equivalent services? What if your need were greater, and your resources less?

http://www.wortsandcunning.com/blog/sliding-scale has an excellent article about sliding scale.