.calculator-container {
max-width: 800px;
margin: 0 auto;
font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;
color: #333;
line-height: 1.6;
}
.calc-box {
background: #f8f9fa;
border: 1px solid #e9ecef;
border-radius: 8px;
padding: 30px;
margin-bottom: 40px;
box-shadow: 0 4px 6px rgba(0,0,0,0.05);
}
.calc-grid {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr;
gap: 20px;
}
.input-group {
margin-bottom: 15px;
}
.input-group label {
display: block;
margin-bottom: 5px;
font-weight: 600;
font-size: 0.9em;
}
.input-group select, .input-group input {
width: 100%;
padding: 10px;
border: 1px solid #ccc;
border-radius: 4px;
font-size: 16px;
box-sizing: border-box;
}
.calc-btn {
background-color: #2c3e50;
color: white;
border: none;
padding: 12px 20px;
font-size: 16px;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 4px;
cursor: pointer;
width: 100%;
margin-top: 10px;
transition: background 0.3s;
}
.calc-btn:hover {
background-color: #34495e;
}
.results-section {
margin-top: 30px;
display: none;
background: #fff;
padding: 20px;
border-radius: 6px;
border: 1px solid #dee2e6;
}
.result-row {
display: flex;
justify-content: space-between;
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-weight: 700;
color: #2c3e50;
font-size: 1.1em;
}
.highlight-result {
background-color: #e8f4fd;
padding: 15px;
border-radius: 4px;
margin-bottom: 15px;
text-align: center;
}
.highlight-label {
display: block;
font-size: 0.9em;
text-transform: uppercase;
letter-spacing: 1px;
color: #555;
margin-bottom: 5px;
}
.highlight-val {
font-size: 2em;
color: #007bff;
font-weight: bold;
}
.article-content {
margin-top: 50px;
}
.article-content h2 {
color: #2c3e50;
border-bottom: 2px solid #eee;
padding-bottom: 10px;
margin-top: 30px;
}
.article-content p {
margin-bottom: 15px;
}
.article-content ul {
margin-bottom: 15px;
padding-left: 20px;
}
@media (max-width: 600px) {
.calc-grid {
grid-template-columns: 1fr;
}
}
Understanding Your Daily Rate
Whether you are a freelancer negotiating a contract, a salaried employee curious about your day-rate value, or a consultant structuring your fees, understanding how to calculate your daily rate is essential for financial planning. This calculator helps bridge the gap between hourly, monthly, and annual figures to give you a clear view of your earnings per day.
Why Calculate Your Daily Pay Rate?
Knowing your daily rate allows you to:
- Negotiate Better Contracts: If a client offers a project fee, knowing your daily rate helps you estimate if the time investment is worth the payout.
- Compare Job Offers: One job might offer a high salary but require 10-hour days, while another offers less but strictly 8-hour days. Converting to a daily or hourly rate helps level the playing field.
- Manage Freelance Cash Flow: For contractors paid on a day-rate basis, projecting weekly and monthly income is vital for budgeting expenses.
How the Calculation Works
To determine your daily rate accurately, the calculation considers your total working time. Here is the logic based on different starting points:
1. Converting Annual Salary to Daily Rate
The formula divides your total yearly compensation by the number of days you actually work.
Formula: Annual Salary ÷ (Weeks per Year × Days per Week)
Example: If you earn $80,000 a year, working 5 days a week for 52 weeks (260 days total):
$80,000 ÷ 260 = $307.69 per day.
2. Converting Hourly Rate to Daily Rate
This is the most direct calculation, multiplying your hourly wage by your daily work hours.
Formula: Hourly Rate × Hours per Day
Example: If you charge $50/hour and work 8 hours:
$50 × 8 = $400.00 per day.
Factors to Consider
While the math is straightforward, real-life application requires nuance. When setting a freelance daily rate based on a previous salary, remember to add a premium (often 20-30%) to cover costs that an employer usually pays, such as:
- Health insurance and benefits
- Self-employment taxes
- Unpaid vacation and sick days
- Equipment and software costs
Use the "Weeks Worked Per Year" input in this calculator to adjust for unpaid time off. For example, if you plan to take 4 weeks of vacation, enter 48 weeks to see how that impacts your required daily rate to maintain your target annual income.
function updateInputLabel() {
var type = document.getElementById('baseType').value;
var label = document.getElementById('amountLabel');
if (type === 'annual') {
label.innerText = 'Annual Salary ($)';
} else if (type === 'hourly') {
label.innerText = 'Hourly Rate ($)';
} else if (type === 'monthly') {
label.innerText = 'Monthly Salary ($)';
}
}
function calculateDailyRate() {
// Get input values
var baseType = document.getElementById('baseType').value;
var amount = parseFloat(document.getElementById('baseAmount').value);
var hoursPerDay = parseFloat(document.getElementById('hoursPerDay').value);
var daysPerWeek = parseFloat(document.getElementById('daysPerWeek').value);
var weeksPerYear = parseFloat(document.getElementById('weeksPerYear').value);
// Validation
if (isNaN(amount) || amount < 0) {
alert("Please enter a valid monetary amount.");
return;
}
if (isNaN(hoursPerDay) || hoursPerDay <= 0) {
alert("Please enter valid hours per day.");
return;
}
if (isNaN(daysPerWeek) || daysPerWeek <= 0) {
alert("Please enter valid days per week.");
return;
}
if (isNaN(weeksPerYear) || weeksPerYear <= 0) {
alert("Please enter valid weeks per year.");
return;
}
// Variables for final results
var hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, annual;
// Logic Tree based on input type
if (baseType === 'annual') {
annual = amount;
var totalWorkingDays = weeksPerYear * daysPerWeek;
var totalWorkingHours = totalWorkingDays * hoursPerDay;
daily = annual / totalWorkingDays;
hourly = daily / hoursPerDay;
weekly = annual / weeksPerYear;
monthly = annual / 12;
} else if (baseType === 'hourly') {
hourly = amount;
daily = hourly * hoursPerDay;
weekly = daily * daysPerWeek;
annual = weekly * weeksPerYear;
monthly = annual / 12;
} else if (baseType === 'monthly') {
monthly = amount;
annual = monthly * 12;
weekly = annual / weeksPerYear; // Average weekly
daily = weekly / daysPerWeek;
hourly = daily / hoursPerDay;
}
// Display Results
document.getElementById('resultsArea').style.display = 'block';
document.getElementById('resultDaily').innerText = '$' + daily.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById('resultHourly').innerText = '$' + hourly.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById('resultWeekly').innerText = '$' + weekly.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById('resultMonthly').innerText = '$' + monthly.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById('resultAnnual').innerText = '$' + annual.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
}