Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator
Calculate your freelance hourly rate based on desired income, billable hours, and expenses. All calculations run in your browser — no signup, no tracking, no cookies.
Run the calculator
Adjust the inputs and the output updates instantly in your browser.
Inputs
Adjust your desired income and working hours.
Results
Live estimate based on your inputs.
How the math works
Required annual revenue = (desired income + expenses) / (1 - tax rate). Billable hours/year = billable hours/week × (52 - weeks off). Minimum hourly rate = required revenue / billable hours. After-tax income = required revenue × (1 - tax rate) - expenses. This is a simplified model — actual rates depend on your skills, market demand, and client negotiation.
Common scenarios
$50k income, 20 billable hrs/week, 4 weeks off, $5k expenses, 25% tax
Required revenue: $73,333. Hourly rate: $76.39. After-tax income: $55,000. This is a realistic benchmark for a part-time freelancer.
$100k income, 30 billable hrs/week, 2 weeks off, $10k expenses, 30% tax
Required revenue: $157,143. Hourly rate: $105.43. After-tax income: $110,000. Higher income and more hours require higher rates.
FAQ
Do I have to sign up to use this?
No. The calculator is fully client-side. No login, no account, no email capture.
How accurate is this estimate?
It's a model, not a guarantee. Actual rates depend on your skills, market demand, and client negotiation. Use the calculator for scenario planning.
Want the context behind the numbers?
Use the calculator for quick directional math, then move into the guide archive for execution steps, trade-offs, and time-to-first-dollar context.