Free tool
Instructor pay calculator for kids programs
An instructor's true cost per class is the hourly rate times every paid hour, teaching plus prep, setup and travel, plus any employer payroll taxes. Multiply by sessions for the term, divide by kids enrolled for a cost per child, and compare it with tuition. This calculator does that as you type.
An estimate from the numbers you enter. General information, not legal, tax or payroll advice. Formulas and sources are below.
How much do enrichment instructors earn?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a national median of $22.50 an hour for self-enrichment teachers and $17.58 an hour for recreation workers, as of May 2025. Those are the two federal job categories closest to a kids program instructor. Oregon and Washington medians run higher than the national figure for both.
| Occupation (BLS code) | U.S. median, per hour | Oregon median | Washington median | U.S. 10th to 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-Enrichment Teachers (25-3021) | $22.50 | $25.86 | $23.09 | $14.45 to $44.63 |
| Recreation Workers (39-9032) | $17.58 | $19.05 | $21.58 | $13.27 to $24.24 |
Median hourly wages, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 data. National medians: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Table 1, national employment and wage data by occupation, May 2025. State medians and percentiles: O*NET OnLine, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, which publishes "Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 wage data" by state for self-enrichment teachers and recreation workers. BLS's own state tables are at May 2025 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates. All checked September 17, 2026.
A median covers the whole occupation in a state, every subject and every city. It is a reference point. Your rate also answers to your subject, your metro area and what the programs around you pay. Pick any other state from the O*NET or BLS links above.
How does the calculator work out the true cost?
It counts every hour you pay for, and that includes the hours outside class. Teaching time plus paid prep, setup and travel gives paid hours per session. Paid hours times the hourly rate, plus any employer payroll taxes you enter, is the true cost of one session. Everything else multiplies or divides that number.
| Result | Formula | Starting example |
|---|---|---|
| Paid hours per session | teaching hours + paid prep, setup and travel hours | 1 + 0.5 = 1.5 hours |
| True cost per session | hourly rate x paid hours x (1 + payroll taxes %) | $22.50 x 1.5 x (1 + 0) = $33.75 |
| Cost per hour of teaching | true cost per session / teaching hours | $33.75 / 1 = $33.75 |
| Cost per week, all classes | true cost per session x classes per week | $33.75 x 4 = $135.00 |
| Cost per term, this class | true cost per session x sessions per term | $33.75 x 10 = $337.50 |
| Cost per term, all classes | cost per term x classes per week | $337.50 x 4 = $1,350.00 |
| Instructor cost per child | cost per term, this class / kids enrolled | $337.50 / 8 = $42.19 |
| Share of tuition | cost per term, this class / (kids enrolled x price per child) | $337.50 / (8 x $240) = 17.6% |
The starting rate is the BLS national median for self-enrichment teachers from the table above. Every other starting number is made up for illustration. With 7.65% entered for payroll taxes, the same session costs $22.50 x 1.5 x 1.0765 = $36.33.
What do employer payroll taxes add to instructor pay?
For an instructor on payroll, the IRS lists the employer share of Social Security tax at 6.2% and Medicare tax at 1.45%, which is 7.65% of wages together. Federal unemployment tax and your state's payroll costs come on top and vary by state and by business. The field starts blank so you enter your own figure.
Source: Internal Revenue Service, Topic no. 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates, which also gives the 2026 Social Security wage base of $184,500. What an employer deposits and reports is on the IRS Employment taxes page. Both checked September 17, 2026. Rates change, so confirm the current ones with the IRS or your payroll provider.
Is an instructor an employee or a contractor?
It depends on the facts of the work, and the rules differ by state. This calculator takes no position on it. Leave the payroll taxes field blank for a contractor, or enter your percentage for an employee. Make the call with the IRS guidance, your state labor agency and a professional who knows your state.
Start with the IRS page Independent contractor (self-employed) or employee?, which looks at behavioral control, financial control and the type of relationship. Then read your state. Oregon's Bureau of Labor and Industries explains its tests on Employee or Independent Contractor and notes that other Oregon agencies make their own determination. Washington's Department of Labor and Industries covers independent contractors and workers' compensation. The U.S. Department of Labor lists every state labor office.
Agency pages checked September 17, 2026. Rules change. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Arielle Hammond's notes on how she made the call and how she runs pay week are in how to pay after-school instructors.
Should I pay instructors per class or per hour?
Either can work when you know the hourly number underneath it. A flat $40 for a class with 60 minutes of teaching and 30 minutes of setup and travel comes to $26.67 for each hour worked. Run that conversion before you post the job, because instructors compare offers by the hour too.
Whatever you choose, pay from the schedule as it happened: subs, late pickups and weather days included. Budget for subs too. A sub session costs what a regular session costs, and you need the list before you need the sub, so build a sub plan that holds. In enrops, instructor assignments, sub offers and contractor instructor pay through Stripe are set up with our team.
What share of tuition should instructor pay be?
We found no published benchmark for kids programs, so treat the percentage as your own baseline. Run it for every class you offer. A class where the instructor takes a far larger share of tuition than your others is underpriced, under-enrolled or carrying too much paid time, and the calculator shows which.
Instructor pay is usually the biggest line in a program's costs, so it sets the floor for your price. Take the cost per term from this page into the camp and class pricing calculator to get a price per child and a minimum enrollment. The guide to setting camp and class prices has the full worksheet.
Who should I hire at this rate?
Hire for how a person is with kids first and what they know second. On our podcast, the instructors who do best are described as people who love something outside education, like music or art, have open afternoons, and bring kindness and empathy. Set a rate that keeps that person coming back every term.
Two podcast write-ups go deeper: who to hire as a kids enrichment instructor and five traits to hire for.
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About this calculator
What should I pay an instructor per class?
Start from an hourly rate and multiply by every hour you pay for. The BLS national median for self-enrichment teachers was $22.50 an hour in May 2025. At that rate, a class with 1 hour of teaching and 30 paid minutes of setup and travel comes to $33.75 before any payroll taxes.
How do I work out instructor cost per child?
Multiply the true cost of one session by the sessions in the term, then divide by the kids enrolled. In the starting example, $33.75 x 10 sessions = $337.50 for the term, and $337.50 / 8 kids = $42.19 per child.
What payroll tax percentage should I enter?
Your own. The IRS lists the employer share of Social Security and Medicare taxes at 7.65% of wages together. Federal unemployment tax and state payroll costs come on top and vary by state and by business, so ask your payroll provider for your full figure. Leave the field blank for a contractor.
Do I have to pay for prep, setup and travel time?
That depends on your state and on whether the instructor is an employee or a contractor, so check with your state labor agency. The calculator takes no position. Enter the time you pay for and it shows what that time costs. This is general information, not legal advice.
Where do the wage benchmarks come from?
From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 data. National medians come from the BLS news release table. Oregon and Washington medians come from O*NET OnLine, a U.S. Department of Labor site that publishes the BLS wage data by state.
Does the calculator save or send my numbers?
No. The math runs in your browser as you type. Nothing is saved, and there is no form to fill in.
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