Freelance Rate Calculator
Use our freelance rate calculator to find the minimum rate you need to charge to reach your financial goals. Enter your target net income, annual business expenses, tax rate, weeks off, and billable hours per week — and get your minimum hourly, daily, weekly and monthly freelance rates instantly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a billable hour?
A billable hour is time you can charge a client for — actual work on their projects. As a freelancer, not all your working time is billable: you also spend time on marketing, admin, accounting, learning, and business development. Most freelancers are billable for only 60–75% of their working hours.
Why is my freelance rate higher than an employee salary?
As a freelancer, you cover all costs an employer normally pays: social security, health insurance, pension contributions, office costs, equipment, software, accounting, and paid vacation. Add unpaid downtime between projects, and a freelance rate needs to be 1.5–3× an equivalent employee salary to achieve the same net income.
How many billable hours per year is realistic?
With 4 weeks off and 30 billable hours/week, you get ~1,440 billable hours/year. In practice, also account for sick days, slow periods, and time finding new clients. Many experienced freelancers plan for 1,000–1,400 truly billable hours annually.
Should I charge by the hour or by the project?
Project-based pricing is often more profitable: clients pay for value, not time, and you're rewarded for working efficiently. Use the hourly rate as your baseline to estimate project costs. As you gain experience, shifting to value-based pricing typically increases earnings significantly.