Free Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator

Find the hourly rate you need to charge to hit your income goals.

The most common freelance pricing mistake is dividing desired income by total working hours, ignoring that a meaningful chunk of freelance time goes to unbillable work — proposals, admin, marketing, and vacation. This calculator asks for billable hours directly so the rate accounts for that reality.

Worked Example

Example: Target income $80,000/year, business expenses $8,000/year, 25 billable hours/week, 48 working weeks/year. Required revenue = $88,000. Billable hours/year = 1,200. Rate = $88,000 / 1,200 = $73.33/hour.

Formula

Required Revenue = Target Income + Annual Expenses
Billable Hours/Year = Billable Hours/Week × Working Weeks/Year
Hourly Rate = Required Revenue / Billable Hours/Year

Worked Example

Example: Target income $80,000/year, business expenses $8,000/year, 25 billable hours/week, 48 working weeks/year. Required revenue = $88,000. Billable hours/year = 1,200. Rate = $88,000 / 1,200 = $73.33/hour.

Formula

Required Revenue = Target Income + Annual Expenses
Billable Hours/Year = Billable Hours/Week × Working Weeks/Year
Hourly Rate = Required Revenue / Billable Hours/Year