Freelance Project & Hourly Rate Calculator
Your Calculation Results:
*This quote includes your profit, expenses, taxes, and a buffer for unexpected delays.
How to Calculate Your Freelance Rate Effectively
Setting your freelance rates is one of the most challenging aspects of running a solo business. If you charge too little, you burn out; charge too much, and you may lose clients. Our Freelance Project Rate Calculator uses a bottom-up approach to ensure you cover all your bases.
1. Accounting for Business Expenses
Unlike traditional employees, freelancers are responsible for their own overhead. This includes software subscriptions (Adobe Creative Cloud, Zoom, Slack), hardware upkeep, office space, and health insurance. Our calculator adds these fixed costs to your income goal to ensure your "profit" is actually profit.
2. The Billable vs. Non-Billable Reality
If you work 40 hours a week, you aren't actually "billing" for 40 hours. You spend time on invoicing, marketing, and sales. Most successful freelancers find that only 50-60% of their time is truly billable. Adjusting your Monthly Billable Hours in the calculator helps you find an hourly rate that covers your non-billable time.
3. Don't Forget the Tax Man
When you receive a $1,000 payment from a client, it isn't $1,000 in your pocket. Depending on your location, you might need to set aside 20% to 35% for income and self-employment taxes. Our calculator "grosses up" your required income so that after you pay taxes, you still have your Desired Monthly Profit left over.
Real-World Example Calculation
Let's say you want to earn $5,000 per month in profit. You have $500 in expenses and want to work 100 billable hours (25 hours per week). With a 25% tax rate, your required gross monthly revenue is actually $7,333. This results in a minimum hourly rate of $73.33. If a project takes 10 hours, you should quote at least $733.30, but with a 15% contingency buffer for revisions, your final quote should be $843.30.