Freelance Rate Calculator
Not sure what to charge? Work backwards from the take-home pay you want. Enter your target income, tax, expenses and realistic billable hours — get the hourly and day rate you actually need. Everything is calculated in your browser.
- Revenue to invoice / year—
- · covers take-home—
- · + tax set-aside—
- · + business expenses—
- Billable hours / year—
How to work out what to charge
A freelance rate isn't a salaried hourly wage. You have to cover your own tax, business expenses, holidays, sick days, admin and downtime — and you're only paid for billable hours, not every hour you work. So you work backwards:
- Start with the take-home pay you want for the year.
- Gross it up for tax, and add your business expenses — that's the revenue you need to invoice.
- Divide by your realistic billable hours (most freelancers bill 20–30 h/week, not 40).
Now use that rate
Put your rate into a quote, lock it into a contract, then invoice it. Read more: how to write a quote.
FAQ
How do I calculate my freelance rate?
Work backwards from the take-home pay you want. Add the tax you'll owe and your business expenses to get the revenue you need to invoice, then divide by your billable hours in a year. This tool does that for you.
Why is my rate higher than a salary hourly rate?
Because you cover your own tax, expenses, holidays, sick days, admin and downtime — and you're only paid for billable hours, not every hour worked. A freelance rate has to absorb all of that.
How many billable hours should I assume?
Most full-time freelancers bill 20–30 hours a week, not 40 — the rest goes on admin, sales, and unpaid downtime. Be realistic; assuming 40 billable hours will set your rate too low.
Is my data uploaded?
No. Everything is calculated in your browser; nothing is sent to a server.