Free tools
Freelance Rate Calculator
Find the minimum, recommended, and premium hourly rate you should charge based on income goals, expenses, billable hours, and taxes.
Your numbers
Adjust anything — results update instantly.
Billable hours / year: 1,200
Effective annual target: $128,571
Minimum
$107/hr
Covers income, expenses, and tax buffer
- Daily (8h)
- $857
- Weekly
- $2,679
Recommended
$134/hr
Minimum + 25% buffer for slow months
- Daily (8h)
- $1,071
- Weekly
- $3,348
Premium
$161/hr
Minimum + 50% for specialized work
- Daily (8h)
- $1,286
- Weekly
- $4,018
How this works
- Enter the annual take-home income you want and your yearly business expenses.
- Set how many hours you can bill each week and how many weeks you take off.
- Add a tax or self-employment buffer so your rate covers what you keep after taxes.
- We divide your true annual target by real billable hours to get a minimum rate, then add recommended (+25%) and premium (+50%) tiers.
You know what to charge. Now plan the work that earns it.
WorkFocus helps freelance developers plan today, run client projects, and show what they shipped — without juggling five apps.
FAQ
How does this freelance rate calculator work?
It adds your desired annual income and business expenses, increases that total by your tax buffer, then divides by billable hours in a year (hours per week × working weeks). The result is your minimum hourly rate, with recommended and premium tiers above it.
What is a good billable hours per week number?
Most freelancers cannot bill every hour they work. A common range is 20–30 billable hours per week after accounting for sales, admin, and context switching. Solo developers often start around 25.
Should I include taxes in my freelance rate?
Yes. Freelancers typically set aside money for income tax and self-employment tax. The tax buffer raises your rate so the take-home goal stays realistic after those costs.
Is this calculator free?
Yes. You can use the WorkFocus freelance rate calculator with no signup. When you are ready to plan client work day by day, you can start free on WorkFocus.
Bring this work into a daily plan.
WorkFocus is the daily workspace for freelance developers — today's tasks, client projects, and bugs in one place.
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