wRVU Compensation Calculator

Many employed physicians — and a growing number of NPs and PAs — are paid partly on work relative value units (wRVUs). The idea is simple: the more work you do, the more you earn. The details, though, are buried in contract language about conversion factors, thresholds and base salaries. This calculator turns those terms into dollars.

What this calculator does

Choose a pay model — a base salary plus a bonus above a threshold, or pure production — then enter your expected annual wRVUs, the conversion factor, base salary, bonus threshold and clinical weeks per year. It estimates:

• your total pay and productivity bonus,
• your effective dollars per wRVU,
• how many wRVUs you need each clinical week, and
• the volume at which pure production pay would equal your base salary.

The chart shows how pay changes if your volume is 20% lower or higher.

The formula in plain English

Pure production: pay = wRVUs × conversion factor.

Base plus bonus: pay = base salary + (wRVUs above the threshold × conversion factor). Below the threshold, you earn your base only.

Effective rate = total pay ÷ wRVUs. Weekly target = annual wRVUs ÷ clinical weeks. Breakeven volume = base ÷ conversion factor.

Real contracts sometimes add tiers (a higher rate above a second threshold), quality metrics, or a reconciliation that claws back pay if you fall short. Those aren't modeled here, so read your contract carefully.

A worked example

Dr. Ortiz, a family physician, is offered a $260,000 base with a bonus of $55 per wRVU above 4,700 wRVUs. She expects about 5,400 wRVUs over 46 clinical weeks.

• Bonus: (5,400 − 4,700) × $55 = $38,500.
• Total pay: $298,500, or about $55.28 per wRVU.
• She needs about 117 wRVUs a week.
• The threshold is close to her breakeven volume (about 4,727 wRVUs), which suggests it's set fairly.

If her volume came in 10% lower, at 4,860 wRVUs, her bonus would shrink to $8,800 — a reminder that the threshold drives the risk.

Why it matters at each career stage

If you're: Resident / fellow

When you're comparing first jobs, ask every employer for the conversion factor, the threshold, how wRVUs are credited during your ramp-up, and whether there's a guaranteed salary for the first one or two years. New attendings rarely hit full volume right away.

If you're: Employed

Track your own wRVUs monthly; don't wait for the annual reconciliation. If you're consistently above threshold, you have data for renegotiation. If you're below, find out why — scheduling, staffing, or coding — before it costs you.

If you're: Practice owner

If you run a group, wRVU-based pay can align incentives, but set thresholds so new partners and APPs aren't punished while their panels grow.

Remember that wRVU volume depends on things you don't fully control: how many patients are scheduled, how well your team supports you, and how visits are coded. A fair contract shares that risk rather than putting all of it on you.

Questions to ask before you sign

1. Is the conversion factor fixed for the contract term?
2. How is the threshold set, and can it change?
3. Are there tiers, quality withholds or clawbacks?
4. Do you get wRVU credit for supervising APPs or for procedures done by others?
5. How are wRVUs counted for call, telehealth and administrative time?

Compare full offers with the job offer comparison calculator, and see what your time is really worth with the effective hourly rate calculator. For more background, read how RVU pay works.