Freelance hourly rate calculator
The rate that covers your income goal and costs.
Put this calculator on your site
Get it as a ready-made Gravity Forms template. Import it, match your colors, publish.
- Import-ready form file
- Step-by-step build guide
- Works with any theme
How it's calculated
Add the income you want to the costs of running the business: that is the revenue the year has to bring in. Divide it by the hours you can actually bill: the weeks you work times the billable hours in each. The hours you spend on proposals, invoicing, email and learning are real work but nobody pays for them, which is why the billable count is well under forty and the rate is higher than a salary divided by 2,080.
How many billable hours a week is realistic?
Most full-time freelancers bill 20 to 30 hours of a 40-hour week. The rest goes to finding work, admin and unpaid revisions. New freelancers often bill less because more time goes into sales.
What should I count as business costs?
Everything an employer would otherwise cover: software and hardware, insurance, retirement contributions, health insurance, accounting, training, the employer half of self-employment tax (about 7.65% of profit), and a cushion for unpaid invoices.
Should I charge by the hour or by the project?
Use the hourly rate to price projects: estimate the hours, multiply, add a margin for the unknowns. Clients see one number, and you are not penalised for being fast. Quote hourly for open-ended work where the scope cannot be pinned down.
Results are estimates for informational purposes only and are not financial, medical or legal advice.