Total Billable Hours: " + totalAnnualHours + " hrs/year
";
}
Understanding Your Freelance Hourly Rate
Setting the correct hourly rate is the most critical business decision for freelancers, consultants, and contractors. Unlike a salaried employee, your rate must cover not just your desired take-home pay, but also your business overhead, taxes, and unbillable time. Using this Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator ensures you don't undervalue your services.
The Difference Between Billable and Non-Billable Hours
One of the most common mistakes new freelancers make is assuming they can bill 40 hours a week. In reality, a significant portion of your week is spent on non-billable tasks, including:
Administrative Work: Invoicing, bookkeeping, and contract management.
Business Development: Pitching clients, networking, and updating your portfolio.
Skill Development: Learning new tools or keeping up with industry trends.
Our calculator asks for "Billable Hours per Week" to account for this efficiency gap. A healthy average for full-time freelancers is often between 20 to 30 billable hours per week.
Why Overhead and Taxes Matter
When you are employed, your employer pays a portion of your payroll taxes and provides equipment. As a freelancer, you are responsible for the full burden of self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare) as well as income tax. Additionally, you must fund your own overhead costs, such as:
This calculator sums your monthly expenses and annualizes them to ensure your gross revenue target covers these essential costs before you pay yourself.
How to Use This Calculator
Desired Net Annual Income: Enter the amount of money you want to take home after all expenses and taxes are paid. Think of this as your "salary."
Monthly Business Expenses: Sum up all recurring costs required to run your business.
Billable Hours: Be realistic. If you work 40 hours total, you might only bill 25.
Weeks Off: Account for holidays, planned vacations, and sick days. Freelancers don't get paid time off (PTO), so your rate must cover these gaps.
Tax Rate: Consult a CPA, but a safe estimate for total tax burden (State + Federal + Self-Employment) in the US is often between 25% and 35%.
By adjusting these inputs, you can determine exactly what you need to charge to maintain your desired lifestyle and financial health.