How to price your act (with a calculator)

Most acts undercharge because they quote a feeling. A host hears a round number that sounded brave in the kitchen, then the van eats two hours, the hotel is not in the fee, and Saturday was worth more than Tuesday. Price the night as a sum of parts you can defend. Then say one number.

Use the calculator on this page — also at the open rate calculator if you want to share a link. It is built for magicians, musicians, circus, clowns, and variety. Override every field. It is a quote, not a union scale and not tax advice.

Start with a base, not an hourly

Close-up, parlor, stage, a children’s party, a corporate day, a musician’s two sets — these are different products. An hour of strolling is not an hour of a stage closer. Put a base on the format. Typical 2026 working floors (before travel) are in the calculator: close-up around the mid hundreds, parlor higher, stage and corporate higher still. Read how much a magician costs if you need host-facing ranges.

Then move the base for the room. A town is not Dubai. A capital or high-cost city is a multiplier, not a vibe. The calculator uses 0.85 / 1.00 / 1.25 for town, city, capital. If your market is harsher, type a higher base.

Mileage is not a tip — it is a line

From July 2026 the IRS business rate is 76 cents a mile. HMRC’s approved rate for 2026/27 is 55p a mile for the first 10,000. Those numbers cover fuel, wear, and insurance in the eyes of the tax office. They are a decent default for a quote. You may charge more if the crate is heavy or the van is hired.

• Enter the one-way distance. The tool bills the round trip.
• A free radius (default 20 miles / 32 km) is unpaid — that is the local job.
• Only miles beyond the radius are charged, both ways.
• Switch to kilometres if that is how you drive. The rate converts.

Travel time is the night you cannot sell twice

Two hours in the car is two hours you cannot take another parlor. Bill it at an hourly you would accept to sit in traffic. The calculator defaults to about $60 (converted). Extra time on site beyond what the format includes is the same hourly. A late finish that forces a hotel is a hotel line, not a sad story in the morning.

Calendar, extras, then one number

Weekends carry a modest lift (15%). December and festival weeks carry more (30%). A second set is not “while you’re here” — it is about 45% of base in this model. An extra performer is about 55% of your base, because you are not splitting a student rate.

The tool shows a floor, an ask, and a premium. Say the ask. If they need a smaller night, cut a set or a format — do not silently shrink the same show. Put the number on an invoice and in the contract.

What this will not do

It will not know your reputation. A name that fills a theatre can ignore the floor. A first paid parlor should not ignore the costs. It will not file your taxes. Keep a mileage log if you claim the statutory rate. It will not replace a studio: holds, clients, and letterhead still live in Housecue.