Finance

Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator

Free freelance rate calculator — find the sustainable hourly rate that covers your target take-home, business expenses, taxes, and realistic billable hours.

Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator is a free online finance tool from FastDailyTools (Find the hourly rate you actually need to charge.). Free freelance rate calculator — find the sustainable hourly rate that covers your target take-home, business expenses, taxes, and realistic billable hours. It runs entirely in your browser — no sign-up, no account, no email and no upload — and every result can be exported as a dated PDF report.

  • ✔ Price: free, unlimited use, no rate limits
  • ✔ Sign-up: not required
  • ✔ Privacy: all math runs client-side, nothing is uploaded
  • ✔ Export: one-click PDF report (2026 rates)
Required revenue
$88000.00
Pre-tax
Billable hours / year
1,200
Your hourly rate
$73.33

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How to use Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator

  1. Enter desired annual take-home.
  2. Add business expenses and tax rate.
  3. Set billable hours per week and working weeks.
  4. Get your target hourly rate.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my freelance rate higher than an employee's hourly?

Freelancers cover benefits, taxes, downtime, tools, and unbillable admin. Rates 2–3× the employee-equivalent are normal and sustainable.

How many hours per week can I really bill?

20–25 billable hours per week is realistic for solo freelancers — the rest is admin, sales, and learning.

Should I raise my freelance rate?

If you are booked 3+ months out or turning down work, raise it 10–20%. Underpricing burns you out faster than any deadline.

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