Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator
Work out the hourly and day rate you need to charge from your income goal, business costs and the hours you can actually bill.
- Free
- No sign-up to try
- Works as you type
Freelance hourly rate
Hourly rate you need
$85.28
Day rate (8 billable hours)
$682
Billable hours per year
1,196 h
Revenue you need per year
$102,000
- Billable hours = working weeks × hours per week × share you can bill.
- Hourly rate = (income goal + business costs) ÷ billable hours.
- Day rate = hourly rate × 8.
Free, no sign-up to try. Save it as a live calculator you can share; an estimate from the numbers you enter, not financial advice. Check the result against your own records before you rely on it.
How it works
How the Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator works
- 1
Enter your numbers
Every result updates as you type, with the formula shown under it.
- 2
Check the method
See how each number is worked out and what it assumes.
- 3
Save it as a Room
Share a live calculator: others can change the numbers and see the result update.
Worked example
What it makes
Example inputs
- Income you want per year, before tax
- $90,000
- Business costs per year
- $12,000
- Working weeks per year
- 46
- Hours you work per week
- 40
- Share of those hours you can bill
- 65 %
Results
- Hourly rate you need
- $85.28
- Day rate (8 billable hours)
- $682
- Billable hours per year
- 1,196 h
- Revenue you need per year
- $102,000
How it's calculated
- Billable hours = working weeks × hours per week × share you can bill.
- Hourly rate = (income goal + business costs) ÷ billable hours.
- Day rate = hourly rate × 8.
- Assumes: The income goal is before income tax; set it high enough to cover tax, pension and savings.
- Assumes: Holidays, sick days and quiet weeks are covered by the working weeks you enter.
- Assumes: Admin, sales and learning time are the hours you can't bill.
An estimate from the numbers you enter, not financial advice. Check the result against your own records before you rely on it.
Who it's for
Who uses it
New freelancers
Set a first rate that covers costs and unbilled time.
Contractors
Check whether a client's offered rate meets your goal.
Consultants
See what a lower billable share does to the rate you need.
Good to know
What to consider
- The income goal is before income tax: set it to cover tax, pension and savings too.
- Most freelancers bill well under 100% of their hours; admin, sales and gaps between projects take the rest.
- This is the rate you need, not what the market will pay: compare it with rates for similar work.
Questions
About the Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator
What share of my hours should I count as billable?
Use your own records if you have them. Without them, start lower than feels comfortable: proposals, invoicing, learning and quiet weeks all take time you can't bill.
Can I share the calculator with my team or a client?
Yes. The Room keeps the calculator live: anyone with the link can change the numbers and see the result update, with the method and assumptions on the same page.
Make your calculator now
Free, no sign-up to try. It becomes a Room you can edit, publish and share.
Create my calculatorRelated
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