Freelance Rate Calculator
Most freelancers undercharge by 40% because they price like employees. This calculator works backwards from what you actually want to take home.
Your real hourly rate
That's 3.6× what an employee earning the same take-home gets paid hourly. If you're currently charging less than $130, you're not running a freelance business — you're subsidizing your clients with your own health insurance, retirement, and unpaid hours.
What you actually want
How much you actually work
Where every invoiced dollar actually goes
Total: $149,308/yr
Take-home
$75,000 50%
Income tax
$31,088 21%
SE tax
$21,620 14%
Health ins
$9,600 6%
Retirement
$8,000 5%
Business exp
$4,000 3%
Why "just charge what an employee makes" doesn't work
The wrong way
$36.06/hr
Your desired take-home divided by 2,080 employee hours. This is what almost every freelancer accidentally quotes. It ignores taxes, benefits, and the hours you can't bill.
Your actual rate
$129.61/hr
3.6× the naive number. Covers your taxes, health insurance, retirement, business expenses, and the 40% of your week that's sales calls and admin you can't bill anyone for.
Numbers never leave your browser · Not financial or tax advice
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