Why there's (almost) no such thing as an hourly rate in the SLP field

What do you mean there's no such thing as hourly?! That's how all of us talk about our jobs.

We know. And it's excruciating, because it's precisely how SLPs are being taken advantage of.

When we launched our jobs database in 2025, one of the most surprising things to us was how complicated employers have started to make our SLP contracts. We have far fewer salaried jobs these days, far more pay per visit (PPV) jobs, and almost no hourly jobs. Because the jobs that say they're hourly really aren't—they're PPV or closest to PPV.

➡️ Here's why that matters: PPV rates aren't hourly rates. They're visit rates masquerading as hourly. And because they're not actually hourly rates, they don't tell you what you'll be paid. 

In other jobs databases: You can't use these "hourly rates" to assume pay. A "$55/hr" job could actually pay less than a "$40/hr" job. Seriously. Instead, you have to ask the employer more questions (read below).

In the our jobs database: We've already asked the employer all these questions. So the hourly rates we display are true hourly rates, because we've asked the right questions AND done all the math for you.

What is pay-per-visit?

Pay per visit (PPV) means you're only paid when working directly with clients. Unlike salaried positions, your hours and pay aren't guaranteed.

Though it may seem straightforward—fill your caseload and get paid an "hourly" rate—PPV isn't truly hourly work. Your actual hourly pay varies based on undisclosed financial factors known only to employers. Below we'll explain these factors and how we address them in our SLP jobs database.

➡️ Need data? Of all the jobs that come into our database listing an "hourly" rate, 30% of them are actually hourly. All the rest are closer to a PPV contract. Which means that for 70% of jobs (that aren't salaried), you need to consider consider the information below.

Why can’t you predict pay from PPV rates?

Because a PPV rate is neither annual nor hourly, which means you can't use that number to predict how much money will be on your paycheck. A $40/visit job can pay the same (or more, or less) than a $70/visit job. But employers will list that $40 or $70 as "hourly" (when it's not), making it all the more confusing.

Here’s why those numbers don't predict your actual pay:

Pay per task type:

• Some clinics pay direct time only (client treatment/assessment) – no pay for paperwork/admin
• Some pay for certain indirect work (reports) but not others (emails, calls, scheduling)
• Some claim to pay indirect time but cap it (e.g., 5 min/session or 1 hour/week)
• Some have different rates for direct vs indirect time...

• Others have multiple rates for everything. Example:

  • $40/30-min session; $55/45-min; $65/hour
  • $80 for evals
  • $20 for documentation
  • $15 for no-shows; $0 with 24hr notice
  • $10 for other admin

   

  This should make it clear you can't calculate actual pay from these rates. But there's more!

Session duration and travel time:

• Clinics vary: all 45-min sessions vs. mixed durations (30/45/60 min)
• Some pay differently per duration; some don't
• Some stack clients back-to-back; others leave unpaid gaps due to scheduling, travel, or cancellations

Cancellation policies:

• Some pay for cancellations; others don't
• Some have mixed cancellation policies with partial payment or varying notice periods (24-48 hours)e
• Cancellation norms vary from minimal to 30–40% of your caseload weekly

Indirect work expectations:

• It's not just about paid vs unpaid – it's how much indirect work
• Some encourage point-of-care documentation; others demand lengthy reports
• Admin duties vary (scheduling, cleaning) – sometimes 15%+ of your week

Other complications:

• We've seen employers do things like PPV in the first three months of employment, then you’re switched to salary after that.
• Or they'll provide productivity bonuses on top of your session rate, which additionally makes the math very complicated.

Bottom line: For most jobs, hourly rates aren't hourly rates. When you see an hourly rate, you know nothing about your pay without asking more questions.

How is pay displayed at Informed Jobs?

In our jobs database, our pay rates can be trusted because we're asking all the right questions (as above) AND running the appropriate math for you. Each job will have pay displayed right under the title.

• The first number in dark green is what the contract states.
• Then the other numbers, in light green are hourly or annual estimates, based on the questions we're asking employers.
• The third metric listed (Informed Pay) allows you to directly compare 1099 and W2 jobs. Read more on Informed Pay here.

This means all jobs will be listed as either hourly-first or annual-first, like this, depending on the contract:

... and we never have a job post that doesn't have all three numbers, verified for accuracy.

But you're probably thinking, "You said most jobs aren't hourly though?" So why do I see hourly pay listed first like that? Precisely. And you infrequently will. Instead, most jobs in our database that aren't salaried end up looking like this: 

The hourly rate shown isn't dark green because it's not the actual contract rate—it's our calculated "Hourly Estimate" based on the contract details and clinic norms. The real contract rate (e.g. "$70/visit") appears when you expand the job post, but we don't highlight it because it's not truly hourly.

How can I predict my pay from PPV job posts on other websites?

There are two good ways, and one bad way.

The bad way: Trying to ask 30-trillion questions to get an accurate number. When we first launched our jobs database, we THOUGHT we could do that too. Surprisingly, it's not as accurate as the two alternatives, below.

The best way: We call this the "magic question" because it overrides everything else. Ask the employer:

What is the range (low to high) and average (median) annual pay for SLPs who currently hold this position full-time at your company?

And that’s it! Because asking that will immediately show you not only the true range of pay you can expect, but is a spot-check of employer transparency as well. ALL employers know these numbers. And all SLPs should know this number when they're trying to choose a job.

The backup way: In very-small companies, an employer may not have those numbers, e.g. because this is their first hire. In those situations, you can the norm we've found from our own internal data, which is that for contracts that aren't truly hourly (most of them!) your actual pay rate will be about 70% of the hourly rate listed. This is because, on average, 30% of working hours are unpaid due to cancellations, indirect time, travel time, etc. So for a $60/hr job you can assume you'll actually be paid $42/hr.