Is this calculator tax advice?

No. The calculator is a planning tool and does not replace advice from a qualified tax professional. Local rules, deductions, social contributions, and filing status can change the final amount.

Does the calculator store my financial data?

No. Calculations run in your browser and the sample site does not send your inputs to a server.

Why does my take-home pay look lower than my rate?

Freelancers often lose income to unpaid time, holidays, platform fees, payment processing fees, business expenses, and taxes. This calculator shows those items separately.

Free global planning tool

Freelancer take-home pay calculator for hourly rates, taxes, and fees.

Estimate what you actually keep after tax reserve, payment processing, marketplace fees, business overhead, and unpaid weeks. Built for freelancers, contractors, consultants, designers, developers, writers, and remote workers.

Income calculator

Freelancer take-home pay

Adjust your rate, schedule, tax reserve, and fees. Results update instantly.

Live estimate

Currency Hourly rate Billable hours per week Billable weeks per year Tax reserve % Platform fee % Payment processing % Monthly overhead

Estimated annual take-home - After reserve, fees, and overhead

Monthly take-home - Average over 12 months

Gross annual revenue - Before deductions

Effective hourly pay - Take-home divided by billable hours

ItemAnnual amountShare of gross

Tax reserve--

Platform and payment fees--

Business overhead--

Estimated take-home--

Reverse calculator

Hourly rate needed for your target

Enter the monthly amount you want to keep. The calculator estimates the rate you need before taxes and fees.

Target monthly take-home

Required hourly rate - Based on the same weeks, fees, overhead, and tax reserve.

How freelancers should read the result

Your hourly rate is not your income

Billable time usually excludes sales calls, admin work, revisions, learning, sick days, holidays, and gaps between projects. A higher public rate may be necessary to protect a normal monthly income.

Tax reserve is a planning buffer

The tax field is intentionally simple. Local income tax, self-employment tax, VAT/GST, deductions, and social contributions vary by country, so use this as a conservative savings estimate.

Fees compound quickly

Marketplace fees, payment processing, currency conversion, software, devices, insurance, and accounting costs all reduce take-home pay. Listing them separately helps you price work with less guesswork.

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Frequently asked questions

Can this work for any country?

Yes, as a general planning calculator. Choose your currency and adjust the tax reserve manually. Country-specific tax pages can be added later for the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, India, Korea, and more.

Should I include unpaid vacation?

Yes. Reduce billable weeks per year to reflect holidays, sick time, family time, and expected gaps between contracts. Many freelancers use 44 to 48 billable weeks instead of 52.

Why include overhead monthly?

Most freelancers pay for software, internet, equipment, accountant fees, training, insurance, and marketing. A monthly overhead field makes those costs visible before setting your rate.