Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator
Work out what to charge per hour based on your income goal, expenses, and billable hours -- not just salary divided by a 40-hour week.
This tool is provided for convenience and does not constitute tax, legal, or financial advice. Check figures and documents with a qualified professional before relying on them.
What you want the business to pay you before personal tax.
Software, equipment, insurance, coworking, etc.
Vacation, holidays, sick days.
Total hours you work, not just client work.
% of work hours you can actually bill clients for.
Your hourly rate
$47.62
Day rate (5-day week)$266.67
Weekly revenue target$1,333.33
Monthly revenue target$5,333.33
Billable hours / year1,344
Working weeks / year48
FAQ
- Why isn't my rate just my target salary divided by hours worked?
- Because not every hour you work is billable. Admin, marketing, invoicing, and client calls all take time but usually aren't charged directly to a project. This calculator uses your billable percentage -- the share of your work hours you can actually bill for -- so the rate accounts for that gap.
- What billable percentage should I use?
- Most freelancers bill somewhere between 50% and 80% of their work hours, depending on how much time goes into sales, admin, and running the business. If you're not sure, start around 70% and adjust based on how your weeks actually go.
- Does this include tax?
- No. "Desired annual income" here means what you want the business to pay you before personal income tax -- this tool calculates a rate, not a tax set-aside. A dedicated tax calculator is on the roadmap.
- Is my data sent anywhere?
- No. The calculation runs entirely in your browser -- nothing is sent to a server.
Related tools
Once you know your rate, send it to a client with the Quote / Estimate Generator, then bill for the work with the Invoice Generator. See all tools.