{
  "slug": "how-much-should-i-charge-per-hour-freelance",
  "title": "How Much Should I Charge Per Hour as a Freelancer?",
  "heading": "How Much Should I Charge Per Hour as a Freelancer?",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/how-much-should-i-charge-per-hour-freelance",
  "summary": "To replace a $75,000 salary with benefits while billing 60% of your time, you need to charge about $87/hour.",
  "description": "Freelance hourly rates must cover your target take-home income, self-employment taxes, business overhead, and the reality that not all your hours are billable — time spent on admin, marketing, and slow periods eats into working hours. This calculator reverse-engineers your rate from your income goal, billable percentage, and overhead costs.",
  "formula": "Billable Hours per Year = Work Weeks × Hours per Week × Billable %. Rate = (Target Income + Annual Overhead) ÷ Billable Hours.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-06",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=how-much-should-i-charge-per-hour-freelance",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "targetIncome",
      "label": "Target annual take-home income",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 75000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "overhead",
      "label": "Annual business overhead",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 8000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "workWeeks",
      "label": "Working weeks per year",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 48,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": 52
    },
    {
      "id": "hoursPerWeek",
      "label": "Working hours per week",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 40,
      "unit": "hrs",
      "min": 1,
      "max": 80
    },
    {
      "id": "billablePct",
      "label": "% of hours billable",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 60,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 10,
      "max": 100
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "rate",
      "label": "Hourly rate to charge",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "billableHours",
      "label": "Billable hours per year",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "totalHours",
      "label": "Total working hours per year",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Target annual take-home income: 75000 $",
      "Annual business overhead: 8000 $",
      "Working weeks per year: 48",
      "Working hours per week: 40 hrs",
      "% of hours billable: 60 %"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Hourly rate to charge: $72.05",
      "Billable hours per year: 1,152",
      "Total working hours per year: 1,920"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter target annual take-home income ($).",
      "Enter annual business overhead ($).",
      "Enter working weeks per year.",
      "Enter working hours per week (hrs).",
      "Enter % of hours billable (%).",
      "Read your hourly rate to charge on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "targetIncome": 45000,
        "overhead": 5000,
        "workWeeks": 29,
        "hoursPerWeek": 24,
        "billablePct": 35
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "targetIncome": 75000,
        "overhead": 8000,
        "workWeeks": 48,
        "hoursPerWeek": 40,
        "billablePct": 60
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "targetIncome": 120000,
        "overhead": 13000,
        "workWeeks": 52,
        "hoursPerWeek": 64,
        "billablePct": 95
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How much should I charge per hour as a freelancer?",
      "a": "To take home $75,000 with $8,000 in overhead while billing only 60% of a 48-week, 40-hour-per-week schedule (1,152 billable hours), you need to charge about $72/hour."
    },
    {
      "q": "Why isn't 100% of my time billable?",
      "a": "Admin, invoicing, marketing, client acquisition, and slow periods between projects typically eat 30-50% of a freelancer's working time, so basing your rate on 100% billability guarantees you'll fall short of your income goal."
    },
    {
      "q": "Should overhead include software and health insurance?",
      "a": "Yes — software subscriptions, self-funded health insurance, equipment, and self-employment tax (an extra ~7.65% beyond what an employer would cover) should all be folded into overhead or the target income line."
    },
    {
      "q": "How do I know my billable percentage?",
      "a": "Track your actual hours for a month using a time tracker split between client work and everything else — most freelancers are surprised how low their real billable percentage is compared to their assumption."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/how-much-should-i-charge-for-a-logo",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/how-much-do-i-need-to-sell-to-break-even"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — How Much Should I Charge Per Hour as a Freelancer? (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/how-much-should-i-charge-per-hour-freelance)"
}