How Much Should You Charge Per Hour Freelancing? Calculator
Enter the monthly income you want to earn, your billable hours per month and your extra costs.
Charging just 'desired income divided by hours' usually shortchanges a freelancer: administrative time, client prospecting and downtime between contracts aren't billable, but they're still part of your cost of living — so this calculation already adds that margin in.
Not the same as hours worked — it's only the time you actually bill the client for.
Taxes, tools, health insurance, time without a contract. 20-30% is a common reference.
Educational estimate for planning purposes — the real market rate also depends on your experience, your niche and negotiation with each client.
Frequently asked questions
Why add a percentage for extra costs?
Because not every hour of the month is billable: time spent on email, finding new clients, doing your own bookkeeping, and downtime between contracts all take time and money but don't generate a direct invoice. Without this margin, a freelancer systematically charges less than they need to live on their desired income.
How many billable hours per month is realistic?
Rarely more than 120-160 hours per month, even working full time — the rest of the time goes to administrative tasks that aren't billed to the client directly.
Does this rate already include the taxes I'll pay?
Only if you include a tax percentage inside the 'extra costs' field. The calculation adds whatever percentage you enter there before dividing by the hours.