.calc-container {
max-width: 800px;
margin: 0 auto;
background: #f9f9f9;
padding: 30px;
border-radius: 8px;
box-shadow: 0 4px 15px rgba(0,0,0,0.05);
font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif;
}
.calc-header {
text-align: center;
margin-bottom: 25px;
color: #2c3e50;
}
.calc-grid {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr;
gap: 20px;
margin-bottom: 25px;
}
.input-group {
display: flex;
flex-direction: column;
}
.input-group label {
font-size: 14px;
font-weight: 600;
margin-bottom: 8px;
color: #555;
}
.input-group input {
padding: 12px;
border: 1px solid #ddd;
border-radius: 4px;
font-size: 16px;
transition: border-color 0.3s;
}
.input-group input:focus {
border-color: #3498db;
outline: none;
}
.calc-btn {
width: 100%;
padding: 15px;
background-color: #3498db;
color: white;
border: none;
border-radius: 4px;
font-size: 18px;
font-weight: bold;
cursor: pointer;
transition: background-color 0.3s;
}
.calc-btn:hover {
background-color: #2980b9;
}
.result-box {
margin-top: 30px;
background: #ffffff;
padding: 20px;
border-left: 5px solid #2ecc71;
display: none;
}
.result-row {
display: flex;
justify-content: space-between;
align-items: center;
padding: 10px 0;
border-bottom: 1px solid #eee;
}
.result-row:last-child {
border-bottom: none;
}
.result-label {
font-weight: 600;
color: #555;
}
.result-value {
font-size: 20px;
font-weight: 700;
color: #2c3e50;
}
.main-result {
font-size: 32px;
color: #27ae60;
}
.article-content {
margin-top: 50px;
line-height: 1.6;
color: #333;
}
.article-content h2 {
color: #2c3e50;
margin-top: 30px;
}
.article-content h3 {
color: #34495e;
margin-top: 20px;
}
.article-content ul {
margin-left: 20px;
}
@media (max-width: 600px) {
.calc-grid {
grid-template-columns: 1fr;
}
}
function calculateFreelanceRate() {
// Get input values
var incomeInput = document.getElementById('targetIncome').value;
var expensesInput = document.getElementById('annualExpenses').value;
var hoursInput = document.getElementById('billableHours').value;
var vacationInput = document.getElementById('vacationWeeks').value;
// Validate inputs
if (incomeInput === "" || hoursInput === "") {
alert("Please enter at least your Desired Income and Billable Hours.");
return;
}
// Parse values
var income = parseFloat(incomeInput);
var expenses = expensesInput === "" ? 0 : parseFloat(expensesInput);
var weeklyHours = parseFloat(hoursInput);
var vacationWeeks = vacationInput === "" ? 0 : parseFloat(vacationInput);
// Calculate Logic
// 1. Total money needed
var totalRevenueNeeded = income + expenses;
// 2. Total working weeks
var workingWeeks = 52 – vacationWeeks;
if (workingWeeks <= 0) {
alert("You cannot take 52 or more weeks off!");
return;
}
// 3. Total billable hours per year
var annualBillableHours = workingWeeks * weeklyHours;
if (annualBillableHours <= 0) {
alert("Billable hours must be greater than zero.");
return;
}
// 4. Hourly Rate
var minHourlyRate = totalRevenueNeeded / annualBillableHours;
// Display Results
document.getElementById('hourlyResult').innerText = "$" + minHourlyRate.toFixed(2);
document.getElementById('annualTargetResult').innerText = "$" + totalRevenueNeeded.toLocaleString('en-US', {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById('hoursResult').innerText = annualBillableHours.toLocaleString('en-US');
// Show result box
document.getElementById('resultsArea').style.display = "block";
}
Understanding Your Freelance Hourly Rate
Determining the correct hourly rate is one of the most significant challenges for new and experienced freelancers alike. Unlike a salaried employee, your freelance rate must cover not just your take-home pay, but also your business overhead, taxes, health insurance, and unpaid time spent on administrative tasks. This Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator helps you work backward from your desired lifestyle to determine exactly what you need to charge clients.
Why You Cannot Just Charge Your Old Salary
A common mistake is taking a previous annual salary and dividing it by 2,080 (the standard number of work hours in a year: 40 hours x 52 weeks). This approach typically leads to underpricing because it ignores the "Billable Efficiency" factor.
As a freelancer, you cannot bill for every hour you work. You will spend time on:
- Marketing and finding new clients
- Invoicing and bookkeeping
- Answering emails and project management
- Skill development and training
Most successful freelancers aim for a billable efficiency of 50-70%. This means if you work a 40-hour week, you might only be able to bill clients for 20 to 28 of those hours. Our calculator allows you to input your realistic Billable Hours per Week to account for this non-billable time.
Key Factors in the Calculation
1. Desired Annual Income
This is your "take-home" pay goal. It should be comparable to the gross salary you would earn in a full-time role, plus a premium for the risk and instability of freelancing.
2. Annual Business Expenses (Overhead)
Your rate must cover your costs of doing business. Common freelance expenses include:
- Software subscriptions (Adobe CC, Microsoft Office, CRM tools)
- Hardware upgrades (Laptops, Cameras, Monitors)
- Health insurance premiums (often the largest expense for US freelancers)
- Co-working space fees or home office utility portions
- Self-employment taxes
3. Weeks Off (Vacation & Sick Days)
Freelancers do not get paid time off (PTO). If you do not factor vacation and potential sick days into your hourly rate, you will effectively lose money every time you take a break. A standard recommendation is to plan for at least 4 weeks of non-billable time per year (2 weeks vacation, 1 week holidays, 1 week sick/personal).
How to Use This Data
Once you calculate your minimum hourly rate using the tool above, treat this as your floor price. This is the absolute minimum you can accept to meet your financial goals. Depending on your market value, niche expertise, and client budget, you should aim to charge 20-30% above this floor to generate profit that can be reinvested into your business growth.