Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator
Most freelancers set their rate too low because they forget only part of the week is actually billable. Feed in your target income, expenses, billable hours and tax set-aside, and this backs into the hourly rate that genuinely covers all of it.
- 100% free
- Private & safe
- Runs in your browser
Read our complete guide: Freelance Rate Guide: How to Price Your Services and Charge What You're Worth
Why use Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator?
Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator turns your inputs into a clear, realistic estimate so you can plan, price and compare with confidence.
- Runs instantly in your browser — nothing to install, nothing uploaded.
- Completely free, with no account, no watermarks and no usage limits.
- Rate = (income + expenses) ÷ (1 − tax%) ÷ billable hours per year
- Enter your desired take-home income and business expenses per year.
- Works on any device — desktop, tablet and phone — and is fully keyboard accessible.
How to use Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator
- Enter your desired take-home income and business expenses per year.
- Enter your billable hours per week and working weeks per year.
- Enter your tax and set-aside percentage.
- See the hourly rate you need to charge.
Examples
- A $70k target with 25 billable hours/week points to a rate well above a salaried equivalent.
- Seeing how fewer billable hours raises your required rate.
Supported formats & limits
- Rate = (income + expenses) ÷ (1 − tax%) ÷ billable hours per year
Limitations
- Only billable hours count — admin, sales and breaks are unpaid, so your rate must be higher.
- Excludes benefits like paid leave and pensions; add a buffer for those.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my rate higher than a salary hourly wage?
Freelancers only bill part of the week and cover their own taxes, tools and time off — so the rate must be higher.
What tax percentage should I use?
Use your expected tax plus any savings/retirement set-aside; when unsure, estimate on the higher side.
Is this financial advice?
No — it's an informational estimate.
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