Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator

Charge enough to live on

Most new freelancers pick a rate by guessing or copying a competitor. This calculator works backwards from the life you want so the number is yours.

Fill in the money

1. Enter the take-home income you want per year, after tax.
2. Add yearly business expenses: software, hardware, insurance, co-working and accounting.
3. Set an estimated tax and contributions percentage for your country.
4. Pick a profit buffer to absorb late payers and slow months.

Fill in the time

• Working hours per week is how long you plan to work, not how long you bill.
• Subtract vacation weeks, public holidays and sick days. Time off is a cost of the business.
• Non-billable time covers everything you cannot invoice: proposals, bookkeeping, emails and learning.

Read the result

The tool shows your hourly rate and day rate, the revenue you need per year and month, and how many billable hours that rests on. A short step-by-step list shows how each number was reached, so you can explain your pricing to a client or to yourself.

Quote a project

Type the hours you expect a project to take and the tool multiplies by your hourly rate. Add extra margin for risky or vague scopes.

Using the rate well

• Round up to a clean number and never go below the calculated rate without a reason.
• Re-run the numbers every year or when expenses change.
• If the rate looks too high for your market, adjust the inputs rather than the maths: raise billable time, cut expenses or lower your target.

These are estimates for planning and not tax or financial advice.