How Much Does an Instrument Rating Cost?
An instrument rating usually costs $9,000 to $15,000 on top of your private certificate. It is almost entirely instrument instruction, so the cost is driven by how many hours of dual and simulator time you need to fly approaches well enough to pass.
Typical cost
Added on top of your private certificate
A range, not a promise. Your number depends on your aircraft, region, and how often you fly. The free calculator gives you a figure tied to all three.
How we estimate this →
Instrument cost breakdown: what you are paying for
| Item | Typical cost | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft and simulatorThe FAA minimum is 40 hours of instrument time. Some can be flown in a cheaper simulator or AATD. | Varies | The FAA minimum is 40 hours of instrument time. Some can be flown in a cheaper simulator or AATD. |
| InstructionMost instrument time is flown dual, so the instructor is a large share of the bill. | Varies | Most instrument time is flown dual, so the instructor is a large share of the bill. |
| Knowledge testThe FAA instrument written. | ~$175 | The FAA instrument written. |
| Checkride / DPE feeThe examiner's fee for your practical test. | $600–$900 | The examiner's fee for your practical test. |
| Charts and appsAn instrument chart and approach-plate subscription. | ~$200 | An instrument chart and approach-plate subscription. |
There is no reliable public dataset for how many hours an instrument rating actually takes, so any single number is a guess. We start from the FAA minimum and a wide range, and the PilotBound app sharpens it from your own logged approaches.
What drives the cost
- Hours flown. The 40-hour minimum is a floor, not an average.
- How often you fly. Instrument skills fade fast, so infrequent training adds hours.
- Simulator vs aircraft. AATD time is much cheaper than aircraft time.
- Aircraft choice and region.
How to keep it down
- Use a simulator or AATD for procedures and instrument scan.
- Fly frequently so approach skills stick.
- Pass the instrument written before you start flying.
Next leg · Your plan
Turn this into a plan you can follow.
Your instrument rating cost is the starting line. The free plan maps every step to the checkride with this number built in, one step at a time.
Already training? Track every hour and dollar in the app.
Instrument Rating cost questions
Can I use a simulator to lower the cost?
Yes. A portion of the required instrument time can be flown in an approved simulator or AATD, which costs far less than aircraft time and is excellent for procedures.
How many hours does an instrument rating take?
The minimum is 40 hours of instrument time, but there is no trustworthy public average. Plan for a range rather than a single number, and let your logged hours sharpen the estimate.
Sources for these figures
The instrument rating ranges above are anchored to public, citable data, not flight-school marketing. Here is what backs them.
- 14 CFR Part 61, Aeronautical Experience (eCFR)
U.S. FAA
The legal minimum hours for each certificate and rating (40 hours for a private pilot, 40 instrument hours for the instrument rating, 1,500 for an ATP). We use these as a disclosed floor where no reliable completion average exists.
- Pilot License Cost
AOPA
National cost ranges and the fact that roughly 80 to 85 percent of the total is aircraft rental and instruction, which is why total hours drive the number.