Set Your Freelancer Rate Right
A concise walkthrough with examples, pitfalls, and the matching calculator.
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
What it does
Turns your income goal, weeks off, billable hours, and overhead into a minimum hourly rate. Prevents the common error of dividing income by 2,000 hours.
How to use it
Fill four inputs, then tweak:
- Target income (before personal taxes)
- Weeks off for vacation, holidays, sick
- Billable hours per week (real client time)
- Overhead % (software, insurance, gear, marketing)
- Example: 90000 goal, 4 weeks off, 25 hrs, 30% → higher rate than you guess
When to use it
Use before quoting a new client or bidding a project. Helpful when raising rates or planning a shift to fewer hours.
Interpreting results
The rate shown is a floor, not a cap. If it feels too high, adjust overhead, add realistic billable time, or lower income target; if demand is strong, quote above it for rush or complex work.
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