Free tool
Freelance Rate Calculator
Don't copy someone else's rate or lowball from fear. Work backwards from the income you need: this calculator adds your expenses and taxes, divides by your real billable hours, and gives you a rate that funds a sustainable business.
Planning math, not tax advice. Billable hours exclude marketing, admin, and gaps between clients — 20–25 hrs/week is typical.
Your minimum hourly rate
$91.67
Based on 960 billable hours/year · need $88,000/year before tax
- Day rate
- $733
- Project minimum
- $275
How the math works
- Gross needed = (income goal + business expenses) ÷ (1 − tax rate). A 25% effective rate means dividing by 0.75.
- Billable hours/year = (52 − weeks off) × billable hours per week. Most freelancers bill 20–25 hrs/week, not 40.
- Hourly rate= gross needed ÷ billable hours. That's your floor.
Quote day rates (hourly × 8) on bigger projects, and set a project minimum of 2–3 hours pay to filter out draining micro-gigs. The full reasoning is in how much should you charge as a freelancer.