Freelance Rate Calculator
Work backward from your target income to the hourly rate you actually need to charge.
Hourly Rate
$86.34
Daily (8h)
$690.71
Weekly
$3,021.87
Monthly Revenue Needed
$8,461.24
Based on 1176 billable hours/year.
About Freelance Rate Calculator
Most freelancers price by guessing or copying a competitor's rate card, then wonder why they're not hitting their income goals. The math is straightforward once you account for the parts full-time employment hides from you: you don't get paid for vacation, only 50-70% of your working hours are typically billable (the rest goes to admin, sales, and gaps between projects), and self-employment tax adds a real cost on top of income tax. This calculator works backward from your target annual income to the hourly rate that actually covers it, factoring in time off, non-billable time, business expenses, and a self-employment tax buffer. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere — it's just arithmetic in your browser.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sales calls, proposals, invoicing, admin, learning, and the gaps between projects — industry estimates put this at 25-50% of a freelancer's total working time, even when fully booked.
As a freelancer you typically owe both the employee and employer portions of payroll tax (around 15.3% in the US) on top of regular income tax — a cost a salaried role's payroll department normally absorbs for you.
Treat it as your floor, not your price. Market rates, experience, and demand should push you above this number — this calculator tells you the minimum needed to hit your income goal, not what you're worth.
No — pick your currency from the dropdown, and the self-employment tax field is editable so you can match your own country's rate.