Freelance Rate Calculator
A freelance rate should cover more than the work you do on a client call. It has to pay for taxes, unpaid admin time, software, insurance, marketing, sales calls, revision time, sick days, and the gaps between projects.
Open the target rate calculator
Required hourly rate = target annual take-home plus taxes, fees, and overhead divided by realistic annual billable hours.
What to enter first
Start with the income you want to keep each month. Then estimate billable hours per week and billable weeks per year. A common beginner mistake is using 40 hours and 52 weeks, which assumes every hour is paid and every week is full. That is rarely true for independent work.
Best use case
Use this calculator before publishing rates on your website, accepting a retainer, joining a freelance marketplace, or turning a salary expectation into an independent contractor quote.