Freelance Rate Calculator: What Should You Charge?

Use this free freelance rate calculator to work out the minimum hourly rate and day rate you should charge. It starts with the income you want to keep, then adds tax, business costs and time off.

Many new freelancers set prices by guessing or copying others. As a result, they often find their income does not cover tax, costs and quiet weeks.

How the freelance rate calculator works

1. It adds the tax you expect to pay to the income you want to keep.
2. Then it adds your yearly business costs, such as software, equipment and fees.
3. Next, it adds a safety buffer for late payments and slow months.
4. Finally, it divides the total by the hours you can actually bill in a year.

What counts as billable hours?

Billable hours are the hours you can charge a client for. They do not include admin, finding new clients, learning or answering emails. Most freelancers bill far fewer hours than they work, so be realistic. For example, 25 billable hours a week is common for full-time freelancers.

Example

Say you want to keep 30,000 a year after tax, expect to pay 20% tax, spend 3,000 a year on business costs, bill 25 hours a week and take six weeks off. With a 10% buffer, the freelance rate calculator suggests a minimum of about 39 an hour, or around 194 a day.

Using your result

• Treat the result as your minimum, not your target price.
• Check what clients in your field and country usually pay.
• Review your freelance rate at least once a year, because costs and taxes change.

The result is a planning estimate, not financial or tax advice. Tax rules differ widely between countries, so check yours with an official source or an accountant.

Frequently asked questions

Should I charge by the hour or by the project?

Either can work. However, even if you quote by project, knowing your minimum hourly rate helps you check that the price is worth your time.

Is my data saved?

No. The freelance rate calculator runs in your browser, and nothing is saved or sent to RAZIUN.