What does your membership need to earn?

MEMBERSHIP PRICING · 5 MIN READ

You’ve got a price in mind. But how many members would you need to make it work? Let’s explore the numbers—with a calculator to help.

By Gemma · The Membership Maven

You’ve got a price in mind. But how many members would you need to make it work—and what would you actually earn for the time you put in?

Let’s put some numbers around it.

Use the calculator below to explore your monthly price, costs and income goal. Then try a few different scenarios and see what feels realistic for the business you want to build.

Grab your best estimates. You can change every number.

THE MEMBERSHIP MAVEN

Let’s talk money.

Your membership should work for you, too. Explore the price, member numbers and time behind your income goal.

Currency Monthly membership price What one member pays each month. Monthly earnings goal Your income after the costs below, before tax. Monthly fixed costs For example: software, hosting and support. Estimated monthly hours Include delivery, admin, marketing and member support.

Payment fees & assumptions

Fees start at zero. Enter your own provider’s rates for a more realistic estimate.

Total percentage fee (%) Combine applicable processing and platform percentage fees. Fixed fee per payment In your selected currency; one payment per member each month.

How the numbers work

Members needed = (earnings goal + fixed costs) ÷ (price after percentage fees − fixed fee per payment), rounded up to a whole member.

Gross revenue = members × monthly price. Earnings = gross revenue − payment fees − fixed costs. Hourly earnings = earnings ÷ your estimated monthly hours.

This is a monthly planning estimate. Everyone pays the same price, once a month. It excludes tax, VAT/sales tax, refunds, failed payments, discounts, churn and costs that grow with each member. Enter a price excluding any tax you collect and pass on. Annual billing needs a separate model.

Hours are held constant as member numbers grow. Update them if more members mean more work. Fees can vary by payment method and country; use your actual rates. Currency selection changes formatting only and does not convert amounts.

Your figures are calculated in your browser. This calculator does not send or save them.

What does that look like in practice?

Let’s say you’re planning to charge £30 a month.

You’d like the membership to earn you £3,000 a month before tax, and you expect £200 in monthly running costs.

Before payment fees, you’d need 107 paying members.

That would give you:

£3,210 in monthly revenue
£3,010 after your running costs
£150.50 in effective hourly earnings, if you spend 20 hours a month on the membership

Payment fees change the picture. Using an illustrative fee of 2.9% plus 30p per monthly payment, you’d need 111 members to reach that same earnings goal. Use your own provider’s rates when you try it.

Now comes the useful part: deciding what those numbers mean for you.

Can you realistically attract and keep that many members?

A target of 107 members might feel achievable. It might also feel a long way from where you are today.

Think about the people you can reach, the demand you’ve seen for your offer and how you’ll help members stay engaged.

The calculator shows the number of paying members you need in a month. If some leave, you’ll need new members to replace them before you can grow beyond that number.

Does your target fit the audience and business you’re building?

Have you counted all your time?

Twenty hours a month can sound generous until you start adding everything up.

There’s the content or teaching. Then the preparation, member questions, community conversations, admin, technology and marketing.

Go back to the calculator and change your hours from 20 to 40. Your revenue stays the same, but your effective hourly earnings halve.

That’s a useful thing to discover while you can still adjust the plan.

You may decide to simplify what you deliver, set clearer support boundaries or revisit your price. Include the time needed to make the experience work.

What happens if you change the price?

Try increasing your monthly price and notice what happens to the member target.

A higher price means you need fewer members to reach the same earnings goal. Whether people will pay it depends on your offer, who it’s for and the value they see in joining.

A lower price may suit your model, too—but check what it asks of you. Would you need a much larger audience? More support? A different way of delivering the membership?

Use the numbers to understand the commitment behind each option.

Build a membership that works for you, too

Your members’ experience matters. So does the business you’re creating around it.

A price that leaves you stretched, underpaid or dependent on member numbers you can’t realistically reach deserves another look.

You can change the price. You can change the offer. You can change how you deliver it.

Start by seeing the numbers clearly.

Try the calculator, explore a few scenarios and ask yourself: could I build and sustain a membership this way?

About The Author

A little about me

I'm Gemma, The Membership Maven. I help entrepreneurs turn their knowledge and ideas into memberships people genuinely want to be part of. I'm all about people before platforms, practical advice and building a business that works for you.

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*This calculator provides monthly planning estimates before tax. It assumes one successful monthly payment per member at the same price. It excludes refunds, failed payments, discounts, churn and costs that increase with each member. Enter your own payment fees and allow for additional work as your membership grows. Currency selection changes the display only; it doesn’t convert amounts.