Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator
Convert an annual earnings target into a billable rate using the hours you can realistically sell. Leave, administration, sales work, expenses and custom reserves can matter more than the nominal working week.
Your result
How the calculation works
Annual billable hours = (52 − weeks off) × weekly hours × billable utilisation. Required revenue = (income target + expenses) / (1 − fee fraction − reserve fraction). Hourly rate = required revenue / billable hours.
Worked example
With a $60,000 income target, $10,000 expenses, 6 weeks off, 40 hours/week, 60% billable time and combined fees/reserve of 25%, required revenue is $93,333.33 and billable capacity is 1,104 hours. Required rate is about $84.54/hour.
Assumptions and limitations
Reserve is a user-entered proportion of revenue, not a tax calculation or take-home promise. Platform fees and reserve both use gross revenue. Currency formatting never converts exchange rates.
Try lower utilisation and longer leave scenarios before setting a price. Sales demand, contractual liability, unpaid invoices, retirement saving and jurisdiction-specific tax require separate consideration.
Sources and editorial responsibility
Maintained by Renvoro Pty Ltd. Sources inform the methods and assumptions shown here; outputs have the limitations described on this page.
Method reviewed 2026-10-11. Calculation standards · Report an issue