How many hours should the retainer include?
Enter the hours the client used in the last three months and your rate. Get the hours to include, the monthly price and an overage rate for anything above it.
Updated November 9, 2026 · By Mo Arfaj, founder of Creepless
Set retainer hours from what the client actually used, not from a guess: average the last three months, add a 10% buffer and round up to the nearest 5 hours. Price those hours at your standard rate minus a small commitment discount, and bill hours over the cap at your standard rate plus 10–20%.
Retainer Hours Calculator
Hours the client really used
New client? Enter the hours you estimate for a typical month in all three boxes.
Rates
The retainer hours formula
Real usage first, then price, then the rule for going over.
A client using 34, 41 and 38 hours
The average is 37.7 hours. With a 10% buffer that’s 41.4, rounded up to 45 hours.
At $100 an hour with a 10% retainer discount, 45 hours is $4,050 a month: an effective $90 an hour. Hours above 45 are billed at $115.
45 hours for $4,050 a month, overage at $115 an hour.
How to set retainer hours that hold up
Start from actual usage
The most common retainer mistake is guessing. Clients rarely use the hours you imagined when you wrote the proposal. Look at the timesheets for the last three months, including the small requests that never got logged as projects. That average is your starting point.
Add a buffer, then round up
Every client sends small asks that nobody planned for. A buffer of around 10% absorbs them without a quote for every five-minute tweak. Rounding up to the nearest 5 hours keeps the plan easy to explain.
Discount for commitment, not for hope
A retainer gives you predictable revenue, so a small discount on your standard rate is reasonable. Keep it modest. If the discount only works when the client uses fewer hours than they pay for, the retainer is priced on hope.
Make overage more expensive than the plan
Hours above the cap are unplanned and disrupt other work. Price them at your standard rate plus 10–20%, and get approval before working them. That premium also nudges clients who regularly go over towards a bigger plan, which is better for both of you.
Review every quarter
Re-run the numbers every three months. If a client consistently uses less, consider a smaller plan before they ask; it builds trust. If they consistently use more, the overage history makes the case for an upgrade.
Count the small requests
Timesheets often miss the five-minute favours: a quick copy change, a resized image, a short call. Across a month they add up to hours. Before setting the cap, ask the team to log everything for two weeks, including the small stuff, or use a larger buffer.
Decide the rollover rule upfront
Unused hours are the other side of the cap. Most agencies let them expire monthly, or carry them for one month at most, so a quiet month doesn’t become a debt of hours due in a busy one. Write the rule into the agreement before the first quiet month arrives.
How to use the retainer hours calculator
- 1
Enter three months of hours
From timesheets, including small requests.
- 2
Set a buffer
10% is a good default for unplanned small asks.
- 3
Enter your standard rate
The rate you charge for one-off work.
- 4
Choose a retainer discount
0–15% for the monthly commitment.
- 5
Set the overage premium
Hours above the cap cost more than retainer hours.
- 6
Write it into the agreement
Hours, price, overage rate and the rollover rule.
How many hours should a monthly retainer include?
Average the hours the client used over the last three months, add a buffer of about 10% for small requests, and round up to the nearest 5. For a new client, use your best estimate for a typical month.
Should retainer hours be cheaper than hourly work?
Often slightly. A commitment discount of 0–15% rewards predictable monthly revenue. Don’t discount more than your margin allows.
What is a fair overage rate?
Your standard hourly rate plus 10–20%. Overage hours are unplanned and push other work, so they shouldn’t be cheaper than retainer hours.
Should unused retainer hours roll over?
Most agencies let them expire monthly or allow a one-month rollover at most. Open-ended rollover turns the retainer into a bank of hours that comes due all at once.
What if the client goes over every month?
If they exceed the cap in two of three months, propose a bigger plan. It’s cheaper for them than regular overages and more predictable for you.
How is this different from the retainer pricing calculator?
This calculator starts from hours already used. The retainer pricing calculator builds a retainer from a list of deliverables, costs and target margin, which suits new retainers.
Keep running the numbers
See hours used against every retainer
Creepless tracks hours and revision rounds used per client, and quotes anything over the cap. Free for 2 clients.
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