Freelance Hourly Rate
Rate to charge to hit a take-home target.
Math
Most freelancers undercharge because they treat their target like a salary divided by 2080 hours. You can't bill 100% of your time: sales, admin, learning, and dead weeks eat at least 30%. Self-employment tax adds 15.3% on top of regular income tax. The output here builds in both.
About
Enter your take-home goal, business expenses, vacation, billable percentage, weekly hours, and tax rate. Get the hourly rate, day rate, and equivalent monthly retainer to cover the math.
How to use
- Enter income target and expenses.
- Set vacation, billable %, hours, tax.
- Read the rate to charge.
FAQ
Why isn't 60% billable enough?+
It's typical. Most freelancers spend 30–40% of their time on sales, admin, learning, and overhead. The other 60–70% is billable. Junior solo freelancers often start lower (40%) and work up.
What about benefits?+
Add roughly 20–30% to the gross-needed line if you're funding your own health insurance and retirement. The default 30% tax rate covers federal, FICA, and a moderate state.