Freelance & Contractor
Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator
Calculate the recommended hourly rate for U.S. freelancers and contractors based on income goals, expenses, and billable hours. Free, private, and no account needed.
Know the numbers
How to use this calculator
Enter your desired annual take-home income, annual business expenses, billable hours per week, and weeks worked per year. Add an optional profit margin.
A worked example
To take home $80,000 with $12,000 expenses, 30 billable hours/week, 48 weeks, and 20% margin: the recommended rate is $46.67/hr. Break-even is $38.89/hr.
The calculation
Break-even rate = (desired income + expenses) ÷ (billable hours × weeks). Recommended rate = break-even × (1 + profit margin ÷ 100).
Before you use the result
This estimates the rate you should charge to meet your income target. It does not account for self-employment taxes, unpaid time, or variable income. Use the take-home pay calculator for tax estimates.
Common scenarios
Use this calculator whenever you need to verify your hours, check a paycheck, or prepare a timecard submission. The result is the same arithmetic the payroll department uses, displayed in a form you can inspect.
Calculation notes reviewed 2026-09-20 by Shift Ledger. Calculation methodology and corrections