Blixwerk

Freelance Hourly & Day Rate Calculator

A new client asks for your rate and you freeze. Quote too low and you work evenings to make rent; quote too high and you worry about losing the job. The honest answer starts with your own numbers: what you want to take home, what the business costs, what you must set aside for tax, and how many hours you can really bill after holidays, admin and unpaid sales time. Enter them below and see a minimum rate to work from.



What you want to keep after tax and costs.

Software, insurance, equipment, coworking, etc.

Your own figure for taxes and contributions.

Holidays, public days, sick time.

Total, including admin and sales.

The rest goes to admin, sales, learning.
Minimum hourly rate
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Day rate
–
Monthly revenue needed
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  • Yearly revenue needed: –
  • Billable hours per week: –
  • Billable hours per year: –
  • Working weeks per year: –

These results are estimates. This is a planning aid and does not replace a tax professional or accountant. Day rate assumes a 5-day working week.

Know your numbers now? Take the next step and set up your freelance business with confidence.

Know Your Rate – Free Freelance Rate Calculator + Invoice Template (Excel)

FAQ

How is the minimum hourly rate calculated?

Your target take-home is grossed up by your tax set-aside percentage to get the profit you need before tax. Business costs are added to get yearly revenue. That revenue is divided by your billable hours per year: working weeks times weekly hours times your billable share.

What billable share should I use?

Many freelancers spend a large part of their week on admin, proposals, finding clients and learning, so billable time is often well below total working time. Look at a few recent weeks of time tracking if you have them. If you are unsure, test a few values and see how sensitive the rate is.

What tax set-aside percentage should I enter?

It depends on your country, income level and legal structure, so this tool leaves it to you. Ask an accountant or tax professional what share of profit to reserve for income tax and social contributions, and enter that figure.

Why is the result higher than an employee's hourly wage?

An employee is typically paid for holidays and sick days, and the employer covers equipment, software and part of insurance. As a freelancer you fund all of that yourself and also have unpaid time for admin and sales, so each billable hour has to carry more.

How is the day rate worked out?

The day rate is your hourly rate multiplied by the billable hours in an average working day, assuming a five-day week. If you bill full eight-hour days regularly, your real day rate could be higher than this figure.

Is this the rate I should charge?

Treat it as a floor, not a price. It shows what you need to cover your goals. The market, your experience and the value of the work to the client may justify more. Also consider a buffer for slow months and unpaid revisions.

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