{
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  "@type": "Dataset",
  "name": "How much should a freelancer charge per hour?",
  "description": "A US freelancer should charge at least $50–$150/hour for generalist work, $100–$250/hour for mid-level specialized skills, and $200–$500+/hour for senior consultants or niche experts. The exact floor comes from your take-home goal, expenses, tax burden, and realistic billable hours — not from market averages alone.",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/answers/how-much-should-a-freelancer-charge-per-hour",
  "dateModified": "2026-07-29",
  "creator": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "RevenueLab",
    "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi"
  },
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "keywords": [
    "Freelance Rate Calculator",
    "Salary to Freelance Rate Calculator"
  ],
  "distribution": {
    "@type": "DataDownload",
    "contentUrl": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/page.json?path=answers%2Fhow-much-should-a-freelancer-charge-per-hour",
    "encodingFormat": "application/json"
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  "json": {
    "type": "answer",
    "question": "How much should a freelancer charge per hour?",
    "shortAnswer": "A US freelancer should charge at least $50–$150/hour for generalist work, $100–$250/hour for mid-level specialized skills, and $200–$500+/hour for senior consultants or niche experts. The exact floor comes from your take-home goal, expenses, tax burden, and realistic billable hours — not from market averages alone.",
    "tableTitle": "Freelance hourly rate ranges by level (US, 2026)",
    "columns": [
      "Level",
      "Typical range",
      "Notes"
    ],
    "rows": [
      {
        "label": "Generalist / early career",
        "value": "$50–$100",
        "note": "Writing, admin, basic design"
      },
      {
        "label": "Specialist / mid-level",
        "value": "$100–$200",
        "note": "Dev, design, marketing, copywriting"
      },
      {
        "label": "Senior / expert",
        "value": "$200–$400",
        "note": "10+ years, niche expertise"
      },
      {
        "label": "Fractional executive",
        "value": "$300–$750+",
        "note": "CFO, CMO, CTO advisory"
      }
    ],
    "context": "The right rate is the one that funds your life after taxes, expenses, and non-billable time. A freelancer billing 25 hours/week for 46 weeks/year at $100/hour generates $115,000 gross — but after 30% tax and $10,000 expenses, take-home is roughly $70,500. Use that math to set your floor, then price above it for margin and negotiation.",
    "methodology": "Rate ranges from freelance marketplace data and industry salary surveys (2025–2026). The floor-rate formula is from the RevenueLab Freelance Rate Calculator: gross needed = (salary + expenses) ÷ (1 − tax rate), then divide by billable hours.",
    "dateModified": "2026-07-29",
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      {
        "label": "Freelance Rate Calculator",
        "to": "/freelance-rate-calculator"
      },
      {
        "label": "Salary to Freelance Rate Calculator",
        "to": "/salary-to-freelance-rate-calculator"
      }
    ],
    "relatedReading": [
      {
        "label": "Freelance hourly rate guide",
        "to": "/blog/freelance-hourly-rate-guide"
      }
    ]
  }
}