Equitable Wage Guide
The Equitable Wage Guide was developed by the International Permaculture CoLab to help contributors and allied networks establish fair and transparent rates for their work. It responds to recurring uncertainty around what to charge, offering a framework that centers People Care, Fair Share, and Earth Care while acknowledging privilege, need, and lived circumstances.
The guide provides a starting hourly rate based on OECD averages, then outlines clear adjustments—such as considerations for inherited wealth, children, dependents, refugee status, gender, or membership in marginalized groups. These adjustments are designed to balance inequities and move toward greater fairness, while recognizing that no formula can ever be fully equitable.
Rather than prescribing fixed rates, it empowers individuals to calculate a fair rate for themselves with confidence, ensuring dignity, sustainability, and accountability within collaborative ecosystems.
Published under CC BY-SA 4.0, the guide is network-agnostic and open for adaptation, inviting feedback and continued improvement.
Equitable Wage Guide © 2022 by International Permaculture CoLab is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 - Last updated: 25th August 2025

Introduction
This guide was created in response to a reoccurrence of CoLab contributors not knowing the best rates to charge for their work. This document was created by the Capacity+ team to help guide people towards arriving at a fairer monetary value for their time, and to give people more confidence in their ‘rate’. 
 It was further amended in 2025 by Daniel Mello Mattos and reviewed by Next Steps Contributors: Aimee Fenech 
 This document is being published on the CoLab website as its usefulness is organisation and network agnostic. 
 Feedback on this document has identified that it is quite complex and long… and we acknowledge this issue but want to publish it despite this it is deemed a useful reference document in its current form. Feedback and suggestions are welcome by email to contact@perma.earth or in the #general-circle CoLab Slack Workspace.. 
 Feel free to use or adapt this guide with the following license; Equitable Wage Guide © 2022 by International Permaculture CoLab is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Statement
A perfect equitable waging system is impossible to create due to the uniqueness of every individual and their circumstances. Any attempt at a formula would inevitably include coded biases and therefore inequities. 
 ”We have to build towards equity. Equity, like a home, is a human right. Lifting barriers, restoring rights, and protecting those most vulnerable is just maintenance. Everyone needs to help maintain this home we call equity, because it only works when everyone does their share.” – Salomé Chimuku (Samples from PDF here ). 
 We offer here a suggested guide for working out your hourly rate with some examples to illustrate it.

Core goals of this guide
People Care – arrive at an hourly rate which is at least enough for you to pay for enough food, shelter, clothing, basic needs, with dignity, and if an individual manages their budget they can break free from the cycle of poverty. 
 Fair share – if you experience privilege you don’t take more than is necessary, therefore leaving more for those with less privilege. Likewise if you have less privilege this is compensated by an increased pay rate. 
 Earth Care – creating and promoting realistic career pathways and livelihoods which increase environmental restoration & regeneration efforts amplifies the transition to an ecologically prosperous future. 
 It is important as well to add at least three major contributions to these principles; One is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights i 1 . Another is the Earth Charter 2 . The third comes with the second and third generations of the Human Rights 3 . Furthermore, It is necessary to reference the acknowledgment that individual, collective and diffuse approaches are both coergent and singular.