Free Freelancer Rate Calculator — What Should You Charge?
What Should You Charge?
Enter your desired salary, expenses, and billable hours to calculate your ideal hourly and project rate. Stop undercharging.
Most freelancers undercharge — sometimes by 30-50%. It's not because they're bad at their work. It's because they only account for their desired salary and forget about taxes (15.3% SE tax alone), health insurance, retirement, software, and the 30-40% of their time that isn't billable. This calculator does the math properly: enter your goals, and it tells you exactly what to charge per hour, per day, and per project.
How to Calculate Your Freelance Rate
- 1
Set your income goal
Enter what you want to take home after taxes and expenses. This is your actual salary — what hits your personal bank account.
- 2
Estimate your tax rate
Self-employment tax (15.3%) plus income tax. 25-35% total is typical for most freelancers. Use our SE Tax Calculator for a precise number.
- 3
Add business expenses
Software, insurance, office costs, professional development. Don't forget health insurance — it's usually $300-$600/month solo.
- 4
Set realistic billable hours
Not total working hours — only hours you can bill to clients. Admin, marketing, invoicing, and breaks aren't billable. 20-30 hours/week is realistic.
- 5
Review your rate
Get your minimum hourly rate, day rate, and project pricing suggestions. If the number feels high, good — you were probably undercharging.
Why Use a Rate Calculator?
Accounts for everything
Taxes, insurance, expenses, non-billable time, and profit margin. Most freelancers forget at least two of these.
Project pricing guidance
Not just hourly — see suggested rates for small (10hr), medium (40hr), and large (120hr) projects with scope-creep buffer.
Massively shareable
Send this to a freelancer friend who's undercharging. The breakdown makes it impossible to argue with the math.
Reality check
If you need $80K take-home and work 25 billable hours/week, your rate should be $100+/hr. Most freelancers are surprised.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should a freelancer charge per hour?
It depends on your desired salary, expenses, and billable hours. A freelancer wanting $80K take-home with typical expenses and 25 billable hours/week needs to charge $95-$115/hour. Use the calculator above for your specific number.
Why is my calculated rate higher than I expected?
Because you're probably only counting your desired salary and dividing by 40 hours. But you pay 15.3% SE tax, you have business expenses, only 60-70% of your time is billable, and you need a profit margin. The real number is always higher than the napkin math.
Should I charge hourly or project-based?
For small tasks and ongoing work, hourly is fine. For defined projects, switch to project-based pricing — it's better for both sides. Add 15-25% to your hourly estimate to account for scope creep and project management overhead.
How many billable hours per week is realistic?
Solo freelancers typically bill 20-30 hours per week. The rest goes to admin, marketing, invoicing, meetings, and professional development. If you're billing 35+ hours consistently, you'll burn out or your business development will suffer.
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