Freelance rate calculator
Your freelance hourly rate is the money you need from clients in a year divided by the hours you can actually bill. To take home 50,000 a year with 5,000 in costs, billing 60% of a 40-hour week for 46 weeks, you need to charge about 72.13 an hour. Put in your own numbers below. Any currency; nothing is saved.
Work out your rate
| Day rate (8 hours) | - |
|---|---|
| Billable hours a year | - |
| Needed from clients a year | - |
The worked example, step by step
| Billable hours | (52 - 6) weeks x 40 hours x 60% = 1,104 |
|---|---|
| Before tax | 50,000 / (1 - 25%) = 66,666.67 |
| Plus costs | 66,666.67 + 5,000 = 71,666.67 |
| Before the 10% platform fee | 71,666.67 / (1 - 10%) = 79,629.63 |
| Hourly rate | 79,629.63 / 1,104 hours = 72.13 |
The billable share is the number most people get wrong. Finding clients, writing proposals, admin and learning all take working hours that nobody pays for, so a full week rarely bills as a full week. The tax line is a simple set-aside, not tax advice; use your own country's rules or an accountant's figure.
The 10% default is WorkOfficially's starting platform fee. It falls as your reputation tier rises and is lower again on a paid plan, so the same take-home needs a smaller rate over time. How our fees work.
Compare with real rates
Freelancers on WorkOfficially set between $25 and $3200 an hour, averaging $338.
From 11 members' own rates.
Rates by skillStart with a reputation, not a blank profile
Charging your real rate from day one is easier with a track record clients can check. Import verified reviews from other platforms, or bring the job you have now.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my freelance hourly rate?
Add the income you want to the business costs you pay yourself, allow for tax and platform fees, then divide by the hours you can actually bill in a year. Billable hours are your working weeks times your weekly hours times the share of that time spent on paid client work, which for most freelancers is well under 100 percent.
What share of my time can I bill as a freelancer?
It depends on how much time goes on finding work, admin, invoicing and learning. Many freelancers plan on billing somewhere between half and three quarters of their working hours. Start with your own last few months if you have them; the calculator uses 60 percent until you change it.
Should I charge by the hour or by the day?
Hourly suits work that is hard to scope and needs to be tracked. A day rate suits clients who book you in blocks and saves both sides counting minutes. The calculator gives both, and a project price is simply the hours you expect times your rate plus a margin for the unexpected.
How do platform fees change what I should charge?
A fee taken from what the client pays means you receive less than your rate, so the calculator grosses your rate up to cover it. On WorkOfficially the platform fee falls as your reputation tier rises and is lower again on a paid plan, so the same take-home needs a smaller gross-up over time.
Updated 26 Oct 2026.