RBT Billable Hours Calculator
A client cancelled — now what? Enter your weekly target, scheduled session hours and cancellations to see how many billable hours you are really on track for and how much make-up time you would need.
Calculate expected billable hours for the week
This is a planning estimate. It does not give billing, payroll, wage or legal advice. Follow your employer’s and payer’s policies for how hours, units, cancellations and pay are handled.
What billable hours and utilization mean for RBTs
For a Registered Behavior Technician, billable hours are the direct-service hours you actually deliver to clients and that your employer can bill. Many ABA employers set a weekly billable-hour target, often somewhere around 25 to 35 hours, though the number varies by company and role. Because your schedule, and sometimes your pay, depends on sessions that really happen, a cancelled session can matter as much as a missed shift.
Utilization compares the hours you bill with the hours you are paid for. A higher utilization percentage means more of your paid week goes to billable sessions; a lower one means more goes to drive time, notes, meetings and gaps. Employers define it differently, so use this number as a quick personal check rather than an official metric.
How the calculation works
Expected billable hours = scheduled direct hours − client-cancelled hours − staff or other cancelled hours
Gap to target = weekly target − expected billable hours
Utilization = expected billable hours ÷ (expected billable hours + non-billable paid time)
15-minute units = expected billable hours × 4
Still to deliver = target − hours already delivered; per workday = that ÷ workdays left
Estimated gross pay = billable hours × billable rate + non-billable hours × non-billable rate
The unit figure is a simple conversion for reference. Payers and employers may have their own rules for rounding partial units, so do not treat it as a billing calculation.
Example: a 32-hour schedule with 4 hours cancelled
Target 30 hours, scheduled 32 hours, 3 hours cancelled by clients and 1 hour by staff, plus 4 hours of non-billable paid time. Expected billable hours are 32 − 4 = 28, which is 2 hours short of target. Utilization is 28 ÷ 32 = 87.5%, the unit equivalent is 28 × 4 = 112, and you would need 2 hours of make-up sessions to reach 30. If you have already delivered 12 hours with 3 workdays left, you still need 18 hours, or 6 hours per remaining day.
Why cancellations matter and how make-up sessions work
Cancelled sessions subtract directly from billable hours, and they often arrive late in the week when there is little time to recover. Tracking cancelled hours as they happen shows early whether you are drifting below target while there are still days left to act.
Make-up sessions are extra or rescheduled direct-service hours that replace what was cancelled. Whether a cancelled session can be rescheduled, how soon, and whether it counts toward your target depends on the client’s schedule and authorization and on your employer’s and payer’s policies. The make-up figure here only shows how many hours separate you from your target; it does not mean those hours are available or allowed.
BCBA supervision: supervision hours are a separate requirement from billable direct-service hours, and this calculator does not calculate them. Check the current BACB requirements and your supervisor’s guidance for what applies to your credential.
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Frequently asked questions
How many billable hours does an RBT need per week?
It depends on your employer. Many ABA companies set a weekly target, commonly in the range of about 25 to 35 billable hours, but your own target comes from your offer letter, schedule or manager. Enter yours in the first field.
Do cancelled sessions count as billable hours?
This calculator treats cancelled hours as not delivered, so they are subtracted from your expected billable hours. How your employer or payer treats a particular cancellation can differ, so confirm with them.
What is a 15-minute unit?
Many ABA services are billed in 15-minute units, so one hour equals four units. For example, CPT 97153 is billed per 15 minutes. The calculator multiplies your expected billable hours by 4 for reference only and does not apply any payer rounding rules.
Does the pay estimate include taxes or overtime?
No. The estimate multiplies your hours by the hourly rates you enter and is a gross figure before taxes. It ignores overtime, differentials and bonuses, so follow your employer's payroll policies for actual pay.
Are my numbers stored anywhere?
Your entries are saved only in your browser on this device so they are there next time. Nothing you type is sent to us. Use “Forget saved values on this device” to remove them.