Freelance rate calculator
Work out the hourly rate that covers your costs, taxes and time off.
What you want to earn in a year
Take-home pay you wantPer year, after tax. What you pay yourself.$60,000
Business costsSoftware, equipment, platform fees, insurance.$70,000
Tax you set asideKept back from every payment for income and self-employment tax.$93,333÷ 0.75
Profit marginKept in the business to grow it or ride out a slow month.$107,333× 1.15
Revenue to bill in a year$107,333
The hours you can bill
Working weeks a yearAfter holidays, sick days and time off.46 weeks
Hours you work a weekEvery working hour, billable or not.1,610 h
Share of hours you can billThe rest goes on finding work, admin and learning. 60 to 70% is common.1,046.5 h
Billable hours a year1,046.5 h
Your rate
Revenue for each billable hourRevenue to bill, divided by billable hours.$102.56
Safety bufferRoom for unpaid revisions, late payers and slow months.$112.82
Your hourly rateYour lowest rate. Price rush or high-value work above it.
A day8 hours$903
A week of billable work22.8 hours$2,567
A month of billinga year ÷ 12$9,839
To take home $60,000 a year after $10,000 of costs and 25% tax, bill at least $112.82 an hour across about 1,047 billable hours.
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