How Time-to-Money is calculated

The goal here is a timeline you can trust. So we separate earning from getting paid. You can generate revenue every week — but cash arrives later if invoices are delayed (Net‑30, Net‑45, etc.). We also model the “leaky bucket” effect of expenses and taxes, because your goal is usually net cash received, not gross revenue.

• Available hours/week = the time you can realistically work (not “ideal”).
• Utilization = % of those hours that are billable.
• Billable hours/week = availableHours × utilization%

• Revenue/week = hourlyRate × billableHours/week
• If you’re on a retainer, approximate it as an hourly equivalent (retainer ÷ expected billable hours).

• Profit/week = revenue × (1 − expense%)
• Net cash/week = profit × (1 − tax%)
• Expenses include tools, contractors, SaaS, ads, travel, and “admin time” you pay for indirectly.

• Working weeks/year = 52 − weeksOff
• Average net/week uses your working weeks (so time off is automatically respected).
• Weeks to goal (earned) = goal ÷ netPerWorkingWeek

• Payment delay in weeks = delayDays ÷ 7
• Weeks until cash goal is received = weeksToGoalEarned + delayWeeks
• This is the part most people forget — and why “I’m doing well” can still feel like “I’m broke.”

3 realistic scenarios

Example A: The “busy but not billable” trap
You work 40 hours/week, but only 50% is billable (utilization = 50%) at $100/hr. That’s 20 billable hours → $2,000/week revenue. If expenses are 20% and taxes 25%, net is $2,000 × 0.80 × 0.75 = $1,200/week. A $10,000 cash goal takes ~8.3 weeks earned, and with Net‑30 you’ll feel it around week 12.6.

Example B: The “raise utilization” win
Same setup, but utilization goes from 50% → 70% (just better scheduling, clearer offers, fewer custom proposals). Billable hours become 28/week → $2,800/week revenue. Net becomes $2,800 × 0.80 × 0.75 = $1,680/week. Now the same $10,000 goal is ~6.0 weeks earned (plus payment delay). That’s a huge timeline improvement without raising your price.

Example C: The retainer stabilizer
A $4,000/month retainer paid upfront effectively reduces payment delay and lowers volatility. If you’re delivering ~10 billable hours/week, your hourly equivalent is $100/hr — but the big win is cash timing: upfront payment means your “delay days” can approach 0. Faster cash = less stress = more negotiating power.

Try recreating your real month. Then adjust only one lever at a time (utilization, rate, or delay) and watch the timeline.

Turn the timeline into actions

This calculator is most useful when you treat the output as a decision aid. “12 weeks” isn’t a verdict — it’s feedback. Here are practical ways to apply it:

• If the timeline is too long, your fastest lever is usually utilization (less unbilled time).
• If you’re at high utilization already, the next lever is rate (positioning + value).
• If cash feels tight, fix payment delay (deposit, milestone billing, Net‑15).

• Instead of “$100k this year”, try “$10k cash every 6 weeks”.
• Short cycles improve momentum, learning, and negotiating power.

• Productized offers + clear scope raise utilization because delivery is repeatable.
• Custom work lowers utilization (more meetings, more revisions, more proposal time).

Frequently Asked Questions

• What does “utilization” mean?

  Utilization is the percent of your working time that is billable. If you work 30 hours/week but only 18 hours are billable, your utilization is 60%. Admin, marketing, proposals, and meetings often live in the other 40%.

• Why include payment delay?

  Because revenue is not cash. Net‑30 means you might do the work in January but feel the money in February. Deposits, milestone billing, and shorter terms often improve cash flow more than a small rate increase.

• Should taxes be based on revenue or profit?

  This calculator applies taxes to profit (after expenses). Real taxes depend on your situation and jurisdiction. Use it as a planning estimate and talk to a professional for precision.

• What if my net per week is negative?

  Then the model can’t compute a meaningful timeline. It means expenses + taxes (or utilization) are too high relative to rate. Reduce costs, raise utilization, or raise pricing until net/week is positive.

• How accurate is this?

  It’s a directional planning tool. Accuracy depends on how honest the inputs are (especially utilization and weeks off). For best results, use your last 4–8 weeks as the baseline.

• How do I shorten the timeline fastest?

  Usually: (1) improve utilization, (2) tighten payment terms, (3) raise effective hourly rate. Do them in that order unless your rate is clearly under-market.

Model assumptions (so you can trust it)

• Utilization is applied to your available weekly hours to estimate billable time.
• Weeks off reduce your effective working weeks per year (vacation, sick, breaks).
• Expenses are modeled as a % of revenue (simple but surprisingly accurate for planning).
• Taxes are modeled as a % of profit (after expenses). Real taxes vary by structure.
• Payment delay shifts cash receipt timing; it does not change net/week earned.

If your business has seasonal demand, try running a “low season” and “high season” scenario and average them.