What should you actually charge? This tool works backwards from your target take-home to give you the minimum hourly rate — accounting for taxes, slow months, and real expenses.
Comparing your hourly rate to a salary is a trap. A $100k salaried employee costs an employer $140k+ when you include employer taxes, benefits, and overhead. As a freelancer you must cover self-employment tax (15.3%), health insurance, retirement savings, slow months, and all business expenses — before you take home a dollar.
Many experienced freelancers switch to day or project rates, which typically command a 20–30% premium over hourly rates. Project pricing removes the client's fixation on hours and lets you earn more when you work efficiently. Use your minimum hourly rate as the floor for any pricing model.
Yes. The calculator includes your tax rate, recurring business expenses, and an optional buffer for slower months so your rate target is more realistic.
Most solo freelancers effectively bill around 20 to 35 hours weekly after non-billable work like acquisition, proposals, and administration.
A common baseline is hourly rate × 8. You can then add a premium if you provide outcomes, strategy, or priority delivery.
Now that you know your target rate, map what actually stays in your private budget and what your personal runway needs to look like.
Admin and proposal overhead kill effective hourly rate. Using a client system can protect margin even if your headline rate stays unchanged.
Try Bonsai for contracts and invoicing
See HoneyBook for lead-to-payment workflow
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