Free freelance rate calculator

Free freelance rate calculator

Calculate the hourly rate, day rate, project baseline, and monthly retainer you need to charge without guessing. Built for freelancers, consultants, creators, and solo service businesses.

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Use this freelance rate calculator to turn your income goal, taxes, expenses, unpaid time, and billable hours into hourly, daily, project, and retainer rates you can invoice.

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Calculate your freelance rate

Use realistic billable hours, expenses, taxes, and a margin buffer instead of guessing.

Recommended rate

$112/hr

Minimum hourly floor$98/hr
Day rate$731
20-hour project baseline$2,249
Monthly retainer baseline$2,699
Revenue needed$117,333

Invoice prompt

Invoice Client for 10 hours of freelance consulting at $112/hour, total $1,124, due in 14 days.

Why this has higher ROI than invoice admin tools

Freelancers search for rates before they search for invoices. If you help them decide what to charge, the next natural step is billing the client with that rate.

How the calculation works

The calculator starts with your target take-home income, adds business expenses, adjusts for taxes and unpaid time, divides by realistic billable hours, and adds a safety buffer.

How to use the result

Use the minimum rate as your floor and the recommended rate as your quote anchor. For project work, convert the hourly rate into a project baseline and invoice around deliverables.

Free tool FAQs

What is a freelance rate calculator?

A freelance rate calculator estimates what you need to charge based on income goals, taxes, expenses, unpaid time, and realistic billable hours.

Should freelancers charge hourly or by project?

Use hourly pricing when scope is unclear and project pricing when deliverables are defined. Your hourly rate still matters because it sets the floor for profitable project quotes.

Can I invoice from this rate?

Yes. The tool creates an invoice-ready prompt with your recommended rate so you can open InvoiceCreator and draft a client invoice.