Freelance Rate Calculator
What you actually need to charge to hit your salary goal. Most freelancers under-price because they skip this math.
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Why charge more than you think
The single most common freelance mistake is treating "the salary I used to make divided by 2,080 hours" as the right hourly rate. That number is the floor for an employee, not a freelancer.
As a freelancer, you pay for time off, health insurance, retirement, software, hardware, both halves of payroll tax, invoicing time, business development, and the inevitable gaps between projects. A useful rule of thumb: take the salary you want, add 25% to 35% in expenses and benefits, then divide by realistic billable hours.
The "realistic billable hours" line is where most calculators break. New freelancers plan for 35 billable hours per week and 50 working weeks; in reality, most experienced solo freelancers bill 20 to 25 hours per week across 44 to 46 working weeks. Set the calculator above to those values and the rate jumps significantly.
What to do with the result
Use the recommended rate as your floor, not your quote. Quote project pricing or weekly retainers, but check that the implied hourly rate (project price divided by hours of work) stays above the floor. If it doesn't, raise the price or shrink the scope.
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