Freelance hourly rate calculator
Find the lowest hourly rate that still pays for your time off, non-billable hours, business costs, tax set-aside and payment fees. Everything runs in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere.
Your rate
- Suggested quoting rate (floor + buffer)
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- Day rate floor (fully billed day)
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- Billable hours per year
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- Revenue to invoice per year
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- Monthly invoicing target
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- …of which tax set-aside
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- …of which payment fees
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- "Salary ÷ 2,080" would give
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- Your floor vs that number
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How the calculation works
Billable hours = (52 − weeks off) × days/week × hours/day × billable share Revenue needed = (take-home ÷ (1 − tax set-aside) + business costs) ÷ (1 − payment fees) Rate floor = revenue needed ÷ billable hours
Tax is set aside on what's left after business costs, so the take-home is grossed up for tax first and the costs are added afterwards. Payment fees apply to the whole invoice, so they're grossed up last. The step-by-step reasoning and a worked example are in the guide How to calculate your freelance hourly rate.
Frequently asked questions
What billable share should I use?
Your own. Track your time for two weeks and divide client hours by total working hours. Until you have that number, compare the results at 50%, 60% and 70% to see how sensitive your rate is.
What tax set-aside percentage is right?
It depends on your country, income and deductions, and this calculator doesn't compute tax. Use last year's effective rate or ask a local accountant. See how to choose a set-aside percentage.
Is the rate floor what I should charge?
No. It's the minimum. Your actual price should also reflect your market, experience and the value of the result to the client.
Is my data saved?
Your inputs are stored only in this browser (localStorage) so they're still there next time. Nothing is uploaded. "Reset to example" clears them.
General information only, not tax, legal or financial advice. Check the results against your own situation.
Rates by job
See what employed people in your field earn (BLS) and the freelance rate needed to match it: freelance rates by job, including graphic designers, web developers, writers and photographers.