What Is This Calculator?
This tool builds a line-item assignment quote for freelance CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) captioners. It handles the billing structures unique to CART work — minimum call times, discounted prep-time rates, on-site travel costs, rush surcharges, multi-consumer fees, and the self-employment tax reality — so you can price each job accurately and share a clean quote with your client in seconds.
How to Use It
- Set your live rate: enter the hourly rate you charge for real-time captioning.
- Enter event duration and your minimum call time. The calculator automatically bills whichever is greater.
- Add prep time — the hours spent reviewing agendas, speaker lists, and building a custom dictionary — and set what percentage of your live rate you charge for prep work.
- Toggle Onsite if you're travelling to the venue. Enter round-trip distance and parking; the mileage rate defaults to the IRS 2026 business rate (72.5 ¢/mi) but is fully editable.
- Add surcharges: rush/short-notice percentage, equipment/tech fees, and any multi-consumer upcharge for full-audience display.
- Set your SE tax rate (default 15.3% for US freelancers) and any agency cut to see your real take-home net.
The quote updates instantly. Print, copy, or download CSV for your records.
Key CART Billing Concepts
Minimum Call Time
CART assignments are often one to two hours, but blocking travel and setup time means you may lose half a day. Most captioners set a two-hour minimum: you bill max(actual hours, minimum call). The calculator enforces this and flags when the minimum is applied.
Prep / Dictionary Billing
The NCRA explicitly identifies prep materials — agendas, textbooks, speaker lists, PowerPoints — as a billing consideration. Building a job-specific dictionary with correct spellings of technical terms, proper nouns, and industry jargon takes real time. Common practice is to bill prep at 25–75% of the live rate, since it's cognitive work but not the highest-intensity real-time captioning.
Remote vs. Onsite
Remote CART services connect via Zoom, Teams, WebEx, or a browser-based streaming window and avoid travel cost entirely. Onsite work adds mileage, possible parking, and sometimes billed portal-to-portal travel time. Know which applies before you quote — a client expecting remote pricing for an on-site gig will push back on the difference.
Rush / Short-Notice Surcharge
Short-notice bookings (under 48–72 hours) disrupt scheduling and compress prep time. A 25–50% surcharge on the base fee is defensible and commonly applied. Disclose this policy clearly in your contract so clients expect it.
Multi-Consumer (Full-Display) Surcharge
When captions are projected for an entire audience rather than displayed on a single individual's device, you're providing a communication-access service at population scale. Many captioners charge a premium — typically 15–25% — for full-display or broadcast use.
Self-Employment Tax
Freelance CART captioners are self-employed and owe SE tax of 15.3% (12.4% Social Security + 2.9% Medicare) on net self-employment income. You can deduct half of SE tax before income tax, but the full 15.3% comes out of the check. Price your jobs to cover it, or you'll end up netting less than you planned.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do CART captioners typically charge for assignments?
According to the NCRA, CART captioners most often charge by the hour or by the day, not by the page as in traditional court reporting. Most assignments include a minimum call time (commonly two hours) that applies even when the event runs shorter. Prep time for reviewing specialized vocabulary is often billed separately at a reduced rate.
What is a minimum call time in CART captioning?
A minimum call time is the fewest billable hours charged per assignment regardless of actual event length. Because a short event may still require blocking a half-day for travel and setup, most captioners enforce a two-hour minimum. If the event exceeds the minimum, actual hours apply.
Should I bill for prep time (dictionary/glossary work)?
Yes. The NCRA explicitly asks who provides prep materials — agendas, textbooks, speaker lists, PowerPoints — as a standard contract question. Most experienced captioners bill prep time at 25–75% of their live rate to compensate for the time spent building a job-specific steno dictionary before the assignment begins.
What is a reasonable rush or short-notice surcharge?
Rush surcharges typically range from 15% to 50% of the base fee. A booking made fewer than 48–72 hours before the event is widely considered short-notice in the CART industry. This compensates for scheduling disruption and the need to build a vocabulary dictionary faster than usual. Disclose your policy up front in your contract.
How do I calculate travel cost for an on-site CART assignment?
Bill round-trip mileage at the current IRS standard business rate — 72.5 cents per mile for 2026 — plus actual parking fees, tolls, or transit fares. Some captioners also bill portal-to-portal travel time at their hourly or a reduced travel rate. Add all travel costs to the assignment fee for the full on-site invoice. Keep a mileage log for your taxes.
What is the self-employment tax impact on CART captioner income?
Freelance CART captioners owe SE tax of 15.3% (12.4% Social Security + 2.9% Medicare) on net self-employment income. You may deduct half of SE tax when calculating your adjusted gross income, reducing income tax slightly — but the full 15.3% comes out of each check. Factor it into your rate so your take-home matches your target.
What is the difference between individual CART and full-display (multi-consumer) CART?
Individual CART sends captions to one person's screen or device — typically a student in a classroom or an attendee at a meeting. Full-display or multi-consumer CART projects captions on a large screen visible to the whole audience, functioning as a broadcast accessibility service. Many captioners charge a 15–25% premium for full-display use because it represents broader scope and responsibility.
Do CART captioners need any specific certification?
There is no single mandatory license, but the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) offers the Certified Realtime Captioner (CRC) credential, which is widely respected and often listed as preferred by educational institutions and government contracts. Some state contracts or ADA compliance programs require certified providers. Certification demonstrates accuracy and professionalism and can justify higher rates.