Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator
Work out the hourly rate to charge as a freelancer from the take-home pay you want, with 2026 self-employment and income tax, expenses and billable hours.
Federal taxes for 2026 with self-employment tax and the QBI deduction. The state tax is an estimate on your income above the federal standard deduction. Add health insurance and retirement savings to the expenses or the take-home pay: an employer would pay them.
What it does
A freelance rate has to cover more than a salary: both halves of Social Security and Medicare, income tax, business expenses and the weeks and hours you cannot bill. The calculator finds the profit that leaves the take-home pay you want after 2026 taxes and divides the revenue by your billable hours.
How to use it
- Choose your filing status and type the take-home pay you want per year and your business expenses.
- Type the weeks off, hours per week, the share you can bill and your state tax rate.
- See the hourly and day rate, the revenue you need and the taxes.
The arithmetic runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere and nothing is stored, so you can use these with real numbers.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I charge per hour as a freelancer?
To take home 60,000 a year with 6,000 of expenses, 4 weeks off and 75% of 40 hours billable (1,440 hours), you need 81,643 of revenue: 56.70 an hour, or 453.57 a day.
Why is a freelance rate higher than a salary per hour?
You pay both halves of Social Security and Medicare (15.3%) and your own expenses, and you are not paid for vacation, holidays or the time spent finding clients and invoicing.
What share of hours is billable?
Many freelancers bill 60% to 80% of their working time; the rest goes to sales, admin and learning. At 60% the same example needs 70.87 an hour.
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