A sustainable rate floor
Translate take-home income, operating costs, tax reserves and realistic capacity into the minimum hourly rate the business needs.
Hourly + day rateFree freelance rate calculator
Turn your income goal into a rate you can quote today.
See the hourly, day, project and revision rates your freelance business needs after expenses, tax reserves, time off and non-billable work—then download the complete pricing plan.
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Suggested floor:
$85/hr
Your rate floor, explained
Price the business—not only the billable hour.
Replace the starting assumptions with your own figures. Results update immediately and are rounded up to practical quoting amounts.
What the result gives you
More useful than a single hourly number.
Each output answers a different pricing decision, while the downloadable plan keeps the assumptions beside the numbers.
A project price with breathing room
Convert estimated delivery time into a fixed price and include a visible scope buffer instead of quietly absorbing uncertainty.
Project + revision priceA file you can actually use
Download a spreadsheet-friendly CSV or printable HTML summary containing inputs, outputs, formulas and a practical scope note.
CSV + printable HTMLThree-step workflow
From annual goal to a defensible quote.
The sequence keeps business needs, available capacity and project scope separate so you can see what changes the final price.
Set the annual target
Enter the take-home income you need, recurring business expenses, a tax reserve and a cushion for the business.
Use billable capacity
Account for time off and non-billable work instead of assuming every working hour can be invoiced.
Download the plan
Save the rates, assumptions and scope language as CSV or printable HTML while the calculation is still fresh.
Practical quote checklist
A rate is only useful when the scope is clear.
Review these five items before turning the calculator result into a client quote. They reduce ambiguity without padding the proposal with unnecessary language.
- Name the deliverables. List what the client receives, including file formats or handoff requirements.
- Define one revision round. Explain who consolidates feedback and what counts as one round.
- State what is excluded. Call out services, expenses, meetings or production work not covered by the fee.
- Set the change process. Require written approval before extra scope, revision blocks or rush work begins.
- Confirm payment timing. Document deposits, milestones, invoice due dates and applicable taxes separately.
Freelance pricing FAQ
Questions behind the calculation.
Use the calculator as a planning baseline, then adjust the final quote for scope, risk, expertise and local requirements.
How is the freelance hourly rate calculated?
The calculator estimates the revenue needed to cover your take-home goal and business expenses after the selected tax reserve, adds the business reserve, then divides that total by realistic annual billable hours. The displayed rate is rounded up to a practical quoting amount.
Why not divide my income goal by 2,080 hours?
That assumes 40 billable hours every week for all 52 weeks. Freelancers also spend time on proposals, administration, bookkeeping, learning and gaps between projects. The utilization field makes that non-billable time visible.
Should I quote the calculated rate exactly?
Treat it as a planning floor, not a mandatory market price. Complexity, urgency, licensing, risk, specialist expertise and client value may justify a different quote. Verify that the final amount still covers the business assumptions you entered.
How does the project price work?
The suggested hourly rate is multiplied by estimated project hours, then the selected scope buffer is added. The buffer is intended for normal estimation uncertainty; substantial new deliverables should still require a separate change approval.
How should extra revisions be described?
State how many rounds are included, what constitutes a round and how feedback must be supplied. The calculator prices one extra revision block using the number of hours you choose.
Are my financial figures uploaded or stored?
No. The calculations and downloadable files are produced by JavaScript in your browser. This page does not require an account, email address or server submission.
Keep the reasoning with the rate
Download a pricing plan you can revisit before every quote.
Get the current rates, inputs, calculation method and scope note in one spreadsheet-friendly file. If you have not changed the calculator, the file includes clearly labelled starting assumptions.
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