Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator
Enter your target annual income, billable hours per week, and weeks you work to find the rate to charge.
How to use this calculator
- 1Enter the annual income you want to take home.
- 2Enter your realistic billable hours per week (not every hour is billable).
- 3Enter the weeks you actually work, then read the hourly and day rate to charge.
How the Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator works
The rate you need is not your old salary divided by 2,080 hours. As a freelancer only a fraction of your week is billable — the rest goes to finding clients, admin and unpaid revisions — and you also cover your own taxes, software, insurance and time off. This calculator works backwards from the income you actually want to keep.
Be honest about billable hours: 20–30 a week is realistic for most full-time freelancers, not 40. Set your target income high enough to absorb self-employment tax and quiet months, and the resulting hourly and day rate is one you can quote with confidence.
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Create an invoice freeFrequently asked questions
How many billable hours are realistic?
Most full-time freelancers bill 20–30 hours a week, not 40 — the rest goes to admin, sales, and unpaid work. Use a number you can sustain.
Should I add expenses and taxes?
Yes — set your "target income" high enough to cover self-employment tax, software, insurance, and time off, since clients pay for all of it through your rate.
How do I turn this into a day rate?
The tool multiplies your hourly rate by 8, but you can charge a rounded day rate for full-day bookings.
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