Freelance Rate Calculator

Start with your target annual income, add business expenses and taxes, then divide by your billable hours. Don't forget to account for non-billable time (admin, marketing, proposals). Most freelancers should add a 20–30% buffer above their minimum rate.

Realistically, 25–40% of a freelancer's time is non-billable: client outreach, proposals, bookkeeping, professional development, and downtime between projects. New freelancers often underestimate this significantly.

Hourly protects you from scope creep but caps your earnings. Project-based pricing rewards efficiency and can earn you more per hour as you get faster. Many experienced freelancers prefer value-based pricing or project rates, while hourly works well for open-ended consulting.