Freelance Rate Calculator
Freelancers set their own price, so the hard part is a rate that covers the pay you want plus the costs of running the work. This shows the hourly and daily rate that would get you there.
- Free
- Works offline after your first visit
- Saves on this device
- No sign-up
- Updated
How it works
Add the yearly pay you want to your yearly business costs. Gross that up for tax, so the money left after tax is still your goal. Divide by the paid hours you can bill in a year, which are the weeks you work times the hours you bill each week. Multiply by the hours in a day for a day rate.
Worked example
To take home $80,000.00 and cover $9,000.00 of business costs, with 4 weeks off, you need $82.41 an hour, or $576.85 for a 7-hour day.
Questions
Why do I need a higher rate than my old salary?
A salary comes with paid time off, sick days and an employer's share of taxes and insurance. Freelance rates have to cover those costs yourself.
What share should I set aside for tax?
It depends on where you live and how you earn. Ask a tax professional for the figure that fits you, and change the number here to match.
Are unbilled hours counted?
No. Count only the hours a client pays for. Admin, selling and learning take time, so most people bill far fewer hours than they work.
More like this
- Injury Frequency Rate CalculatorInjuries per million hours worked, from your own counts.
- Churn Rate CalculatorShare of customers lost over a period.
- Conversion Rate CalculatorShare of visitors who buy or sign up.
- Employee Turnover Rate CalculatorYearly turnover rate and what it costs.
- Sales Tax CalculatorAdd sales tax to a price, or take it out of a total.
- Net Promoter Score CalculatorPromoter share minus detractor share, from survey counts.