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Freelance Rate Calculator
Find the hourly and day rate that covers the income you want, your business costs and the hours you can't bill — with the working shown.
A planning estimate, not tax or financial advice. Check market rates for your field — the rate you need and the rate clients pay can differ.
How the rate is calculated
- Revenue needed(income before tax + business costs) ÷ (1 − reserve %)
- Billable hoursworking weeks × hours per week × billable %
- Hourly raterevenue needed ÷ billable hours
Worked example
You want $70,000 before tax, spend $8,000 a year on the business and keep a 10% reserve: ($70,000 + $8,000) ÷ 0.9 = $86,667 of revenue. Working 46 weeks of 40 hours and billing 60% gives 1,104 billable hours, so you need $78.50 an hour, or $628 for an 8-hour day.
Frequently asked questions
How do I work out my freelance hourly rate?+
Add the income you want to your yearly business costs, allow for a reserve, and divide by the hours you can actually bill. $80,000 of revenue over 1,000 billable hours needs $80 an hour.
What is a realistic billable share?+
Many freelancers bill 50–75% of their working hours; the rest goes on finding clients, admin, invoicing and learning. The table shows how much your rate rises as that share falls.
How is the day rate calculated?+
Hourly rate × the hours in a billable day you set — 8 by default. Some clients expect 7 or 7.5-hour days, so adjust it to match how you quote.
Does it work out my tax?+
Not exactly. By default everything is before tax. In after-tax mode it uses one flat rate you choose to gross your income up, but real income tax is usually progressive and varies by country, so check with an accountant.
Why add a reserve?+
Freelance income is uneven. A reserve — a share of revenue set aside — covers quiet months, late payers and equipment. It's added once, on top of income and costs, so nothing is counted twice.
Is my information stored?+
No. Everything is calculated in your browser and nothing is saved or uploaded.