Your Freelance Rate Calculator
Work out the hourly or project rate you actually need to charge as a freelancer to hit your target income. Enter your desired annual income, working hours, business expenses, taxes and
- Free to use
- No signup
- Nothing to install
- Works in any modern browser
Your input
The actionA real example, step by step
Real data entered into the Freelance Rate Calculator, one screenshot per step. Nothing is mocked up.
Open the tool
The Freelance Rate Calculator opens ready to use, nothing to install or sign up for.
Enter your data
Real input used here: Desired Net Annual Income ($) 80000; Billable Hours per Week 30; Weeks Off per Year (vacation + sick) 4.
Press Calculate My
The Freelance Rate Calculator shows the result straight away, below the same form.
What is the Freelance Rate Calculator?
Work out the hourly or project rate you actually need to charge as a freelancer to hit your target income. Enter your desired annual income, working hours, business expenses, taxes and non-billable time (admin, marketing, unpaid downtime), and the calculator shows the real hourly rate required to cover all of it — not just your take-home target.
Most new freelancers underprice themselves by dividing a desired salary by 2,080 hours, the same as a full-time employee. In reality freelancers have unpaid downtime, self-employment tax, and business costs an employee doesn't — this tool accounts for all of that to show your true minimum billable rate.
3 steps to your result
Open the tool and follow along. Nothing to install.
What you get
Accounts for time spent on admin, marketing and non-billable work, not just hours worked.
Factors in business expenses and self-employment tax, not just take-home target.
Start from the income you actually want to earn and work backward to a rate.
Get your rate immediately with no account required.
AZRS tools are free to open and use.
It opens in your browser, so there is nothing to download.
Used for
Pick one to see how it fits.
New freelancers setting rates for the first time
Avoid the common mistake of underpricing based on employee-style math.
Try it freeFreelancers raising rates
Recalculate a realistic rate after expenses or income goals change.
Try it freeConsultants and contractors
Set a defensible rate backed by real numbers when a client asks how you priced it.
Try it freeHow it compares
A plain look at this tool next to the usual alternative.
| This calculator | Desktop software | |
|---|---|---|
| Install | Nothing to install | Usually an app or program to install |
| Account | No signup | Depends on the product |
| Cost | Free to use | Free or paid, depends on the product |
Questions people ask
How do freelancers calculate their hourly rate?
Start from a target annual income, add back business expenses and taxes, then divide by your realistic billable hours (not total working hours) to get the rate you need to charge.
What percentage of my time is usually billable?
Most freelancers bill somewhere between 60% and 75% of their working hours once admin, marketing, and client communication are subtracted.
Is this freelance rate calculator free?
Yes, free with no signup.
Should I include taxes in my rate calculation?
Yes, self-employment tax is a real cost that employee salary comparisons don't capture — this calculator factors it in.
How often should I recalculate my rate?
At least annually, or whenever your expenses, target income, or tax situation changes meaningfully.
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Try the Freelance Rate Calculator now
Work out the hourly or project rate you actually need to charge as a freelancer to hit. Free to use.
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