Freelance Pricing Calculator
Calculate freelance pricing for hourly, day, and project work — with tax and expense buffers built in.
Freelance pricing is more than an hourly number — it must cover taxes, non-billable time, and business costs. This page uses a $80k take-home target with 30% tax and $5k expenses, a common US freelancer baseline.
Market reference
| Metric | Range | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing inputs | income + tax + costs | not guesswork |
| US freelancer tax buffer | 25–35% | SE + income |
| Billable ratio | 60–75% | of work week |
| vs employee salary | +30–50% | gross equivalent |
Interactive example — freelance pricing calculator
Defaults match this page's scenario. Adjust numbers to see your rate update instantly.
- Minimum hourly
- $101
- Day rate (8h)
- $810
- Typical project
- $4,857
- Monthly retainer
- $10,954
Recommended next step
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Frequently asked questions
What is a freelance pricing calculator?
A tool that works backward from desired take-home pay to hourly, day, and project rates including tax and expenses.
How is freelance pricing different from a salary?
You must price in taxes, benefits, downtime, and overhead that employers normally cover for W-2 workers.
Should I price hourly or per project?
Use hourly for open-ended work and project pricing when scope is fixed — this calculator gives both.