Freelance rate calculator

What should you actually charge?

Most freelancers undercharge because they price like an employee. Enter your real numbers below — the calculator works backwards from the income you want to the hourly rate that gets you there.

Your numbers

Currency

Target take-home income / year

Billable hrs / week

Working weeks / year

Annual business expenses (software, gear, etc.)

Tax + self-employment (%)

Profit buffer (%)

💡 Billable hours are the hours clients actually pay for. Admin, sales and email are not billable — that's why 25/week is realistic for many full-time freelancers.

You should charge at least

per hour

How we got there

Target take-home income—
+ Business expenses—
+ Profit buffer—
Pre-tax revenue needed—
Grossed up for tax—
Billable hours / year—
Required hourly rate—

📐 Project quote estimator

Turn your rate into a confident project price. Padding protects you against scope creep.

Estimated hours

Your hourly rate

Risk / scope-creep padding (%)

Rush surcharge (%)

Quote this project at

—

Know your number — now win the deal

The Freelance Business-in-a-Box turns your rate into ready-to-send proposals and airtight contracts, so clients say yes faster and pay on time.

Get the toolkit →

How to use the freelance rate calculator

Pricing as a freelancer isn't "my old salary ÷ 2080 hours." You only bill a fraction of your working hours, you cover your own expenses and taxes, and you need a buffer for slow months. This calculator works backwards from the life you want to fund:

Take-home goal — the money you want in your pocket after tax.
Add expenses & profit — your tools and a buffer for growth and dry spells.
Gross up for tax — so the rate survives contact with the tax bill.
Divide by real billable hours — not a fantasy 40-hour billable week.

The result is the floor — the least you can charge and still hit your goal. Strong positioning, niche expertise and good proposals let you charge well above it.