Hourly rate calculator
Work out the freelance rate that actually hits your income goal — after tax, expenses and time off.
Free while we finish setting up payments — the clean, watermark-free PDF downloads instantly.
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Stop guessing your freelance rate. This calculator works backwards from the income you actually want to keep — factoring in tax, business expenses, time off and a profit buffer — to the hourly and day rate you should charge. Set your target, your billable hours, and see the number in real time.
- ✓Rate derived from your real take-home goal
- ✓Accounts for tax, expenses and unpaid time
- ✓Hourly and day rate, plus yearly revenue target
- ✓Adjustable profit buffer so you're not scraping by
- ✓A tidy PDF you can keep or share with a client
Who it's for
- New freelancers setting their first rate
- Contractors deciding whether a project pays enough
- Anyone raising rates and wanting the target number
- Agencies sanity-checking a day rate
How it works
- 1Enter the yearly income you want to keep.
- 2Add business expenses and your tax rate.
- 3Set billable hours per week and working weeks per year.
- 4Read your rate, then download the PDF.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my rate higher than my salary equivalent?+
Freelancers pay their own tax and expenses and don't bill every hour. This calculator grosses your take-home goal up for all of that, which is why the rate looks higher than an hourly salary.
What should I put for billable hours?+
Only the hours you actually invoice — admin, marketing and breaks aren't billable. Many full-time freelancers bill 20–30 hours a week, not 40.
What's the profit buffer for?+
It's a margin on top so slow months, bad debt and surprises don't wipe out your target. A 10–20% buffer is a sensible starting point.
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