Freelance Rate Calculator
Work backward from a monthly income target to a rough hourly rate. Enter the take-home you want, your business expenses, fee percentages, and how many of your working hours are actually billable, and this tool estimates the rate you would need to charge.
Last updated June 2, 2026
Your target
All optional- Gross billings needed per month$0
This shows the rate implied by your target, not a recommended price. Nothing is saved to the page address.
Assumptions this calculator makes
- Results are estimates based only on the numbers you enter.
- Your target is treated as pre-tax income from this work.
- Billable hours are the share of working hours you can actually invoice.
- Fees are applied to your gross billings.
- The tax set-aside percentage is an optional planning placeholder, not tax advice.
- This does not set market rates; it shows the math behind a target.
This is an estimate, not advice
Every result here is a rough model based only on the numbers you enter. Sidequity is an informational tool and does not provide professional, tax, legal, investment, or financial advice, and it makes no income guarantees. Any tax set-aside is a planning placeholder, not a tax calculation.
For decisions that affect your money, taxes, or business, review your situation with a qualified professional. See our full disclaimer.
Frequently asked questions
How do I use a freelance rate calculator?
Enter the monthly pre-tax income you want from freelancing, your monthly business expenses, your fee percentages, the number of hours you plan to work each week, and the share of those hours that are actually billable. The tool divides your needed gross billings by your billable hours to estimate a target hourly rate.
Why are billable hours important?
Freelancers spend time on admin, sales, revisions, and unpaid communication. If only part of your working hours are billable, your effective rate has to be higher to hit the same income. This calculator makes that gap explicit so your target rate is realistic.
Does this tell me what to charge?
No. It shows the rate implied by your own target and assumptions. Actual pricing depends on your market, skills, and clients. Treat the output as one input into your decision, not a recommendation.
Freelance Rate Calculator last updated June 2, 2026. Back to all calculators.