Freelancer Rate Calculator
Freelancers pay their own taxes, expenses, and benefits — and only part of the working year is billable. So the rate that replaces a salary is much higher than dividing it by 2,080 hours. This calculator works out your minimum sustainable rate from the numbers that actually matter: your target income, business costs, time off, and how much of your week is billable. It shows the hourly floor, a daily rate, a one-week project rate, and the weekly and monthly revenue you need — plus a what-if table showing how each driver moves the number. Adjust anything to explore scenarios; every result is computed from your inputs and nothing is stored.
Your numbers
Your rate
minimum per billable hour
Daily rate
Project rate (1 week)
Billable hours / year
Working weeks
Revenue targets
| Required revenue / year | |
| Revenue / working week | |
| Revenue / month |
What-if
Assumptions
Your result URL updates automatically — bookmark or share it to reproduce this exact calculation.
Enter your target income, costs, and billable capacity to see your minimum hourly, daily, and project rates with a what-if table.
Freelancer rate calculator — FAQ
How is my minimum freelance rate calculated?
Required revenue (target income + business expenses + benefits) is grossed up for taxes/overhead and profit margin, then divided by your annual billable hours — (working weeks − vacation) × hours per week × billable percentage. The result is the least you can charge per billable hour without losing money.
Why is my rate so much higher than my target salary?
Freelancers pay their own taxes, expenses, and benefits, and only a share of working hours is billable — the rest is sales, admin, and learning. A $60,000 target can require a $60–90 hourly rate depending on utilization and overhead. The what-if table shows exactly which drivers move your rate and by how much.
What is the difference between the hourly, daily, and project rates?
The hourly rate is your floor per billable hour. The daily rate prices an 8-billable-hour day, and the project rate prices a standard 40-billable-hour (one-week) engagement. They are display conventions — the underlying math is the same hourly floor applied to standard chunks of work.
Is this financial advice?
No. Results are educational estimates computed from your inputs — not a market rate survey and not financial advice. What clients actually pay depends on demand, positioning, and negotiation. Adjust the inputs to explore scenarios and sanity-check against real market rates for your niche.
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