Freelance Rate Calculator
Find the minimum hourly or project rate you need to match your target income — after taxes, benefits, overhead, and non-billable time.
Market Context (US averages)
Invoice & contract tools
Once you know your rate, you need clean invoicing, contracts, and a business account to keep finances separate.
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Why "desired income" isn't your rate
The most common freelancer mistake: dividing your target salary by 2,000 hours (the standard full-time estimate). That number ignores taxes, benefits, unpaid admin work, dry months, and business costs — meaning you'll earn 30–50% less than you expect.
Freelancers in the US owe self-employment tax of 15.3% on top of federal and state income tax. Add in health insurance ($400–700/month for an individual), software ($200–500/month for a developer), and the typical 35% non-billable overhead, and the real rate to match $80K net is often $90–100/hr — not the $40 you might naively calculate.
The billable hours reality
Most freelancers overestimate billable hours. Sales calls, proposals, project management, invoicing, learning, and marketing are all real work that doesn't appear on a client invoice. Experienced independents typically bill 50–70% of their available hours. Factor this in and your rate climbs substantially.