Freelance Rate Calculator
Hourly = target ÷ adjusted billable hours. Click any i for detail.
Income & capacity
Target annual income ($)
i
Target
Desired yearly take from freelance work. |
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|---|---|
Billable hours / week
i
Hours
Average billable hours each week. |
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Weeks / year
i
Weeks
Working weeks (vacation/sick deducted). |
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Non-billable / expense (%)
i
Expense
Shrinks capacity for overhead & non-billable time. |
How to use this calculator
- Enter your target annual dollars.
- Set realistic billable hours/week and weeks/year.
- Add an expense/non-billable percent.
- Read hourly and 8-hour daily rates.
Results explained
Freelance rate math divides a revenue target by effective billable hours. The expense percent reduces capacity to reflect overhead and unpaid admin time. Taxes and benefits may require a higher target.
Quick reference: freelance rate
hourly = target / (hrs/week × weeks × (1 − expense%)).
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| 25 h × 48 wk | 1,200 raw hours |
| 20% expense | 960 effective hours |
| $80k target | $83.33/hr |
| Daily ×8 | For day-rate quotes |
Pricing worksheet — not tax or business advice.
How the estimate is built
billable = hrs/week × weeks × (1 − expense%/100); hourly = target/billable.
Example scenario
$80k, 25 h/wk, 48 wk, 20% → about $83.33/hr.
FAQ
Include taxes in target?
Many freelancers raise the target to cover self-employment tax.
Retainer pricing?
Convert retainers to effective hourly separately.
Utilization really 100%?
Rare — use the expense % for admin time.
See SE tax?
Yes — self-employment tax calculator.