Most agencies check the gross margin and stop. This tool also takes off your own time, your tools and the hours you spend chasing, so you see what you really keep from each account.
Enter what your client pays you and what the provider charges you.
Add your hours, your cost per hour and any tools.
See where the money goes, then test ways to fix a thin margin.
Use any currency. Leave a field blank to start.
Your retainer for this account.
For that one account.
Reports, calls, checks, messages.
What an hour of your time costs you.
Tools, reporting software.
Optional. Shows the price you would need.
Your results
Gross margin
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After the provider, before your time
Margin after your time and costs
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Closer to real profit
Break-even client price
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Lowest price that does not lose you money
Your time and costs
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Hours x cost per hour, plus other costs
Hours you can afford
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Hours a month before this account stops paying
Price for your target margin
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Needs the optional target above
Formulas: gross margin = client price - provider fee. Margin after time = gross margin - (hours x cost per hour) - other costs. Break-even price = provider fee + (hours x cost per hour) + other costs. Hours you can afford = (gross margin - other costs) / cost per hour. Price for target margin = (provider fee + your time and costs) / (1 - target).
These are examples with made-up numbers, not quotes. In all three the gross margin looks healthy. After your time, the small account is thin.
Example A: small retainer
Client pays 800. Provider charges 450. You spend 4 hours at 40, plus 30 in tools.
Gross margin 350 (44%)
160 kept
That is 20% of the price. Break-even price: 640.
Example B: mid retainer
Client pays 1,200. Provider charges 600. You spend 3 hours at 40, plus 30 in tools.
Gross margin 600 (50%)
450 kept
That is 38% of the price. Break-even price: 750.
Example C: larger retainer
Client pays 2,500. Provider charges 1,100. You spend 5 hours at 50, plus 60 in tools.
Gross margin 1,400 (56%)
1,090 kept
That is 44% of the price. Break-even price: 1,410.
The provider fee is on an invoice. Your hours are not. Four places they usually go:
If you rewrite or explain every report, that is real time. Ask for the report in your template, written so your client can read it.
Decide how many calls the retainer covers. Ask what the provider charges if they join one.
Ask what counts as a revision and how fast it comes back. Slow loops mean more of your time spent chasing.
Late logos, offers and access slow every launch. Write a short input list and send it at kickoff.
Track your real hours on one account for two months, then use the average here. Hopeful hours make the result look better than it is.
It looks at one account for one month. It does not count the time you spend selling the account, onboarding it, or replacing it when a client leaves. It also does not count tax or overhead, and it will not warn you when ad spend rises and the provider fee moves up a tier. Add those yourself if they matter to you.
Get a free audit on one real client account. You get a written plan you keep, whoever you hire.
Get a free auditWhat is a good white label PPC margin?
There is no one number. It depends on your price and your hours. Use the calculator, then look at the result after your time, not just the gross margin.
Should I include my own time?
Yes. Time you spend on reports, calls and checks costs money even when no invoice shows it.
How many hours should I budget per account?
Use your real hours. Track one account for two months, then use the average. Hopeful numbers make the result look better than it is.
How do providers charge?
Common models are a flat fee, a percent of ad spend, or a tier based on spend. Ask which one applies and what changes when spend changes.
What if ad spend goes up?
Many providers charge by spend tier, so the fee can jump. Ask where the tiers change, then run the calculator again at the new fee.
Does the provider fee include landing pages?
Not always. Ask what is included before you compare prices.
What if my client pays less than I need?
Raise the price, cut your hours, or pass on the account. Fixing it later is harder.
Does this tool give me a River Stone price?
No. It uses only your numbers. For a real quote on one account, get a free audit.
Do you store what I enter?
No. The numbers stay in your browser and are not saved or sent.
Read how white label Google Ads works for agencies and our white label PPC pricing guide.
