CalcHub

Freelance Rate Calculator — Calculate Your Hourly Rate [2026]

Enter your desired salary, expenses, and time off, get your ideal hourly, daily, and monthly freelance rate. Includes tax and expense breakdowns. Free tool.

Your Freelance Rates

Hourly Rate
$86
Daily Rate
$684
8-hour day
Weekly Rate
$2566
Monthly Rate
$10476

Revenue Breakdown

Required Gross Revenue$125,714
Estimated Taxes (30%)-$37,714
Business Expenses-$8,000
Your Take-Home Pay$80,000

Time Breakdown

Work Weeks
49
Total Hours
1,960
Billable Hours
1,470
Non-Billable
490
This calculator provides estimates for planning purposes. Actual rates should also consider market rates, experience level, and demand for your skills. Consult a tax professional for accurate tax planning.

What is Freelance Rate Calculator?

The Freelance Rate Calculator helps freelancers, consultants, and independent contractors determine how much to charge per hour to achieve their desired income. It factors in taxes, business expenses, vacation time, and billable hours to calculate a sustainable rate that covers all costs and delivers your target take-home pay.

How to Use Freelance Rate Calculator

Enter your desired annual salary (what you want to take home), the number of hours you work per week, weeks of vacation per year, estimated annual business expenses, and your effective tax rate. The calculator computes your required hourly rate, daily rate, and monthly rate to achieve your income goal after taxes and expenses.

How Freelance Rate Calculator Works

The calculator starts with your desired annual salary and adds back taxes (using your effective tax rate) and business expenses to determine your required gross revenue. It then calculates billable hours by multiplying work hours per week by billable weeks (52 minus vacation weeks). Your hourly rate is the required gross revenue divided by annual billable hours. Daily rate assumes an 8-hour day, and monthly rate divides annual revenue by 12.

Common Use Cases

  • Setting your freelance hourly rate when starting a consulting business
  • Adjusting rates to account for increased business expenses or taxes
  • Comparing freelance income potential with full-time salary offers
  • Calculating rates for different billing scenarios (hourly, daily, project)
  • Planning rate increases to match income goals and inflation

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I determine my desired annual salary?▼

Consider what you would earn as a full-time employee in a similar role, including the value of benefits (health insurance, retirement contributions, paid time off) which typically add 20-30% to base salary. Your desired salary should cover your living expenses plus savings goals.

What tax rate should I use?▼

For US freelancers, a combined effective rate of 25-35% is common, accounting for federal income tax and self-employment tax (15.3%). Your actual rate depends on your income level, deductions, and state taxes.

What business expenses should I include?▼

Common freelance expenses include: software and tools, health insurance, retirement contributions, home office costs, internet and phone, professional development, marketing, accounting services, and liability insurance.

How many billable hours should I assume?▼

Most freelancers can bill about 60-75% of their work hours. The rest goes to admin, marketing, invoicing, and business development. If you work 40 hours per week, expect 25-30 billable hours.

Should I charge different rates for different clients?▼

Many freelancers use value-based pricing rather than a single hourly rate. You might charge more for urgent work, specialized expertise, or high-value clients. This calculator gives you a minimum baseline rate.

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