Free Hourly Rate Calculator
The hourly rate that actually covers your target income, business costs, and the unbillable half of your week - not the one you get by dividing a salary by 2,080 hours. Day rate included, any currency, free, no sign-up.
This is your floor, not your price. Charge more when the value, urgency, or expertise justifies it - never less than this.
100% free and private - everything is calculated in your browser. Nothing is uploaded unless you ask us to email your result, and even then we keep only your email address.
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Hourly Rate FAQ
How do I calculate my hourly rate?
Hourly rate = (target income + business costs + a buffer) ÷ real billable hours per year. Someone who wants 6,000,000 a year, spends 800,000 on the business, adds a 10% buffer, and truly bills 25 hours a week for 46 weeks needs (6,800,000 × 1.1) ÷ 1,150 ≈ 6,500 per hour. Enter your own numbers above.
Why not just divide a salary by 2,080 hours?
Because you won't bill 2,080 hours. A 40-hour week is full of unbillable work - proposals, invoicing, emails, marketing, learning - and the year has holidays, sick days, and dry spells. Most independents genuinely bill 20-30 hours a week. Divide by the hours you'll actually invoice, or your 'rate' quietly becomes a pay cut.
Hourly rate or day rate - which should I quote?
Day rates suit blocks of work (on-site days, workshops, retainer days) and stop the client counting minutes. Hourly suits small, unpredictable tasks. The calculator shows both - same underlying math, eight billable hours to a day.
When should I stop charging hourly?
When your work's value stops scaling with time. A logo that takes you four hours because you're excellent shouldn't cost less than one that takes a novice twenty. Hourly is a fine floor early on; as your results become predictable, quote per project - our Project Pricing Calculator builds that number.
How is this different from a Growpins Ledger account?
This sets your rate; Growpins Ledger runs the billing. A free account stores your clients and rates, turns hours into professional invoices, and tracks who has paid - so the rate you calculated is the rate you actually collect.
Turn the rate into paid invoices
Growpins Ledger stores your clients and rates, turns hours into professional invoices with your tax handled, and tracks who has paid - built by the team behind Growpins, founded by Dokun Bamigboye. Free tier, no card required.
Get Started FreePricing a whole project instead? Use the Project Pricing Calculator, see the full method on the Freelance Rate Calculator, or browse all free tools.