Tutor Term Fee Calculator — Australia

Per-term (or per-package) pricing is the AU industry norm for tutors and music teachers because it stabilises income, reduces no-show losses, and signals commitment. Per-lesson is fine for ad-hoc HSC exam crammers, but for ongoing students bill the full term upfront with a make-up policy for legitimate cancellations.

When your tutoring turnover hits $75,000 over any rolling 12-month period (not financial year), you must register within 21 days and add 10% GST to every invoice. Most sole-trader tutors sit below this threshold and don't charge GST — but track turnover monthly so you don't get caught out mid-year.

Common AU tutor policy: prepaid terms are non-refundable, but unused lessons can be credited to the next term if cancellation is given 7+ days before the term end. For genuine medical reasons or family emergencies, offer a pro-rata refund or rollover. Publish the policy in your terms and have parents sign before the first paid term.

10% off the second child and 15–20% off the third is typical. It rewards multi-child families while protecting your hourly margin — they're still adding teaching time, just slightly discounted per head. Some tutors do 'flat $X per family per hour' for back-to-back sibling lessons since the travel and admin overhead is fixed.

Per-student rate drops but total revenue per hour rises. A solo $80/hr tutor running a 4-student group at ~$45 per student per hour earns $180/hr — more than double — while each family pays less than 1-on-1. Group works best for HSC subjects, exam prep, and ensemble music. Cap at 4–6 students to keep individual attention meaningful.

Once a year, ideally at the start of Term 1 with 6–8 weeks notice. Raise by 5–10% to cover wage inflation and your growing expertise. Existing families are far more price-tolerant than you expect provided you give notice — most attrition comes from poor communication, not the increase itself. Always grandfather mid-package rates.