SEE EXACTLY WHAT WORK REALLY COSTS
Freelance Rate Calculator
Turn a target salary into the hourly and day rate you actually need to charge.
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Naive salary/2080 ≈ $45.67/hr
Vacation, sick, holidays, admin. Working weeks: 46
Realistic freelance average is 20–25. Not 40.
1,150
Working weeks × billable/week.
TARGET HOURLY RATE
$82.61
$661
DAY RATE
$95,000
REVENUE / YEAR
+81%
VS SALARY/2080
Charge $83/hr or $661/day to match a $95,000 salary as a freelancer.
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How to price yourself as a freelancer
A freelance rate calculator that just divides salary by 2,080 hours will underprice you by 40–80%. Independent work has taxes an employer used to pay, benefits you now cover yourself, unpaid admin time between projects, and business overhead. This day rate calculator starts from the take-home salary you want, adds self-employment tax and overhead, and divides by realistic billable hours — usually 20 to 25 a week, not 40. The result is the hourly and day rate you actually need to quote to end the year where you planned to.
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