Freelance rate calculator
Start from what you want to keep, not what employees earn. To take home 60,000 a year (in dollars, pounds or euros) with 6,000 of business costs, a 30% effective tax rate, six weeks off and 70% of a 40-hour week billable, you need about 91,714.29 in revenue: 71.21 an hour, or 570 a day across 161 billable days. Adjust every assumption below.
Example: 60,000 target take-home
- Revenue needed: 91,714.29
- Billable hours: 1288
- Hourly rate: 71.21
- Day rate (8h): 569.65
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Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my freelance hourly rate?
Add your target take-home pay, taxes and business costs to get the revenue you need, then divide by the hours you can actually bill in a year (working weeks × hours per week × billable share).
What billable percentage is realistic?
Most freelancers bill 60-75% of their working hours; the rest goes on sales, admin and learning.
What tax rate should I use?
Use your all-in effective rate: in the US federal + self-employment + state is often 25-35%; a UK sole trader on £50,000 pays about 19%; EU countries vary widely.
Should I charge hourly or a day rate?
Day rates are common for UK and EU contracting and avoid tracking every hour; use the day rate calculator to convert from a salary.