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Freelance hourly rate calculator

Start from what you want to take home and work back to the hourly rate you need to charge.

What you want to keep after expenses and taxes.

Software, equipment, insurance, coworking…

Use your accountant's estimate.

Vacation, holidays and sick days.

Time on client work, not sales or admin. A common rule of thumb is 50 to 70%.

Minimum hourly rate

$80

Day rate (8 h)
$638
Revenue needed per year
$88,000
Per month
$7,333
Billable hours per year
1,104

Estimates only, not financial or tax advice. Nothing you type leaves your browser.

IN SHORT

To find your freelance hourly rate, add your take-home income goal and yearly business expenses, gross that up for taxes, then divide by the hours you can actually bill in a year. Billable hours are working weeks times weekly hours times the share spent on client work, which a common rule of thumb puts at 50 to 70 percent. The calculator runs in your browser.

Prices and limits as of .

Questions

How do I calculate my freelance hourly rate?
Revenue needed = (income goal + expenses) / (1 - tax rate). Billable hours = (52 - weeks off) x hours per week x billable share. Hourly rate = revenue needed / billable hours.
Why not divide my old salary by 2,080 hours?
Because as a freelancer you pay your own expenses and taxes, your time off is unpaid, and part of every week goes to sales and admin. Those hours are real work and nobody pays for them.
What billable share should I use?
A common rule of thumb is 50 to 70 percent of working hours. Better: track your time for a few weeks and use your real number.
Is this tax advice?
No. It gives you an estimate. Ask an accountant for your actual tax rate and obligations.

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