Freelance rate calculator

Work out the lowest hourly rate that reaches your income goal, turn it into a fixed price for a project, and see what you actually keep after platform and transfer fees. For freelancers and side businesses paid by the hour or by the project. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere.

Set aside % is your own estimate — check your local tax rules. This tool does not give tax advice and does not know the tax rate where you live. Put in the share of your profit you want to keep aside for taxes and contributions.

Currency Show amounts in

This only changes the symbol and decimals. Nothing is converted, so enter every amount in the same currency.

1. Your income goal

Goal per

Take-home income goal per year

Business expenses per year

Set aside for taxes etc. (% of profit)

Set aside % is your own estimate — check your local tax rules. Use 0 if you plan for taxes separately.

Working weeks per year

Hours per week

Billable %

Billable % is the share of your working hours a client pays for. Finding work, admin, messages and learning are usually not billed.

2. Price a project Hourly rate for this project

Estimated hours

Buffer (% extra hours)

The buffer covers revisions, calls and things that take longer than planned.

3. Fees taken from the payment

Platform fee %

Transfer fee %

Fixed fee per payment

Use your own platform's and payment service's current fees. Leave a field empty or 0 if it does not apply (for example, a client who pays you directly).

Result

Required hourly rate

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Suggested project price

—

Take-home after fees

—

Effective hourly rate

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How the hourly rate is worked out

Project and fees

How it works

Revenue needed = income goal ÷ (1 − set aside %) + business expenses. The set aside is taken from your profit (revenue minus expenses).
Billable hours = working weeks × hours per week × billable %.
Required hourly rate = revenue needed ÷ billable hours, rounded up to the next cent (or yen). It is a floor, not a market price.
Suggested project price = hourly rate × estimated hours × (1 + buffer %).
Take-home = price − platform fee − transfer fee. The transfer fee % is taken from what is left after the platform fee, then the fixed fee is added.
Effective hourly rate = take-home ÷ estimated hours, and ÷ hours with the buffer if you use all of it.

Example

You want to keep $40,000 a year. You expect $3,000 of business expenses and want to set aside 25% of your profit. $40,000 ÷ 0.75 = $53,333.33, plus $3,000 = $56,333.33 of revenue. You work 48 weeks × 40 hours, but only 60% is billable: 1,152 hours. $56,333.33 ÷ 1,152 = $48.9005, so your required hourly rate is $48.91.

A 40-hour project with a 15% buffer is 46 hours: 46 × $48.91 = $2,249.86. A 10% platform fee takes $224.99, and a 1% transfer fee takes $20.25 of the $2,024.87 left. You keep $2,004.62 — about $50.12 an hour if the job takes 40 hours, but $43.58 if it takes all 46. If your effective rate falls below your required rate, raise the price or cut the hours.

Also free: Job profit calculator · Home office business-use calculator · Working days calculator · Read: Paying freelancers in the US: Form W-9 and 1099-NEC

Built with the help of AI; the calculations are covered by tests. Results are estimates for planning your prices. They are not tax, legal or financial advice.