Calculate your real freelance hourly rate.
This calculator is built for one job: turning a vague income goal into a number you can actually quote. It includes taxes, unpaid time off, business overhead, and a sensible margin so you stop underpricing busy weeks.
Calculate Your Freelance Rate
Most freelancers bill 25-35 hours per week after admin and sales time.
Software, insurance, hardware, accounting, coworking, etc.
These rates are estimates. Always consult a qualified accountant for your specific tax situation.
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How to use the calculator without fooling yourself
- 1
Enter the take-home income you want to keep after taxes and expenses.
- 2
Choose your country so the estimate uses the right currency and rough self-employment tax rate.
- 3
Set billable hours and time off honestly. Most freelancers overestimate available client hours.
- 4
Use the minimum rate as your floor, then quote from the recommended rate when the project fits your niche.
The biggest mistake is entering ideal numbers instead of real ones. If you think you can bill 40 hours a week every week, the output will look clean and the business will not. Leave room for proposals, revisions, admin, gaps, and recovery time.
Once you have your floor rate, compare it with the developer, designer, writer, and marketer benchmarks. If the market average is lower than your floor, you need a different client type, a tighter scope, or lower fixed costs.
Common ways freelancers use the output
New freelancer
Use the recommended rate if you are still building systems. Your admin load will be higher than you think in the first year.
Booked-out specialist
Treat the result as a starting point, not a cap. If demand is strong, your market rate may be far above your floor.
Retainer work
Use the week-rate output to anchor monthly retainers, then adjust for availability, meetings, and response times.
Need the strategy behind the number?
A calculator can give you a baseline. It cannot tell you how to defend that rate, when to raise it, or how to package the work. Read how to set your freelance rate for the full pricing playbook.