Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Minimum day rate
$851
Equivalent hourly
$106
Revenue needed
$137,000
Billable days/yr
161
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One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter target annual take-home ($).
- 2Enter annual business costs ($).
- 3Enter effective tax rate (%).
- 4Enter working weeks per year.
- 5Enter billable days per week.
- 6Read your minimum day rate on the right — it updates as you type.
- 7Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Freelancers price off gut feel and end up underwater. This works backwards from take-home target, business costs and billable days to the day rate you cannot go below.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Target annual take-home: 90000 $
- Annual business costs: 12000 $
- Effective tax rate: 28 %
- Working weeks per year: 46
- Billable days per week: 3.5
Results
- Minimum day rate: $851
- Equivalent hourly: $106
- Revenue needed: $137,000
- Billable days/yr: 161
What each field means
Inputs
- Target annual take-home ($)
- The target annual take-home used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 90000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Annual business costs ($)
- The annual business costs used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 12000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Effective tax rate (%)
- The effective tax rate used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 28 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–60 %.
- Working weeks per year
- The working weeks per year used in the calculation. Starts at 46 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 20–52.
- Billable days per week
- The billable days per week used in the calculation. Starts at 3.5 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0.5–7.
Results
- Minimum day rate
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Equivalent hourly
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Revenue needed
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Billable days/yr
- Returned as a decimal number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
How does the freelance minimum day rate calculator work?
Freelancers price off gut feel and end up underwater. This works backwards from take-home target, business costs and billable days to the day rate you cannot go below. The underlying maths is: Rate = (take-home ÷ (1 − tax) + costs) ÷ (weeks × billable days).
What do I need to enter?
5 values: target annual take-home, annual business costs, effective tax rate, working weeks per year, and billable days per week. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move.
What does the minimum day rate result mean?
It is returned as a money amount in US dollars and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds.
Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?
Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser.
How accurate is the result?
It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
Who is this tool for?
It's built for anyone comparing money scenarios before committing — budgeting a payment, sanity-checking a quote, or seeing what a change in rate or term actually costs.
Accuracy and 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.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Freelance Minimum Day Rate Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/freelance-minimum-day-rate
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/freelance-minimum-day-rate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Freelance Minimum Day Rate Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Freelance Minimum Day Rate Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/freelance-minimum-day-rate) (2026).