Getting-paid tools
Freelance hourly rate calculatorSet what you want to earn in a year, then back out the rate — remembering receiving eats a slice too.
Freelancers often price on gut feel, then find little left at year's end. Flip it: set your target yearly income, take out the time you can actually bill and the receiving loss, and back out the rate you should charge. Enter a few numbers and the tool gives you the suggested rate, the effective rate after loss, and how many hours a year you can really bill.
"Billable hours" counts only time you can invoice — not finding work, communicating or admin. For loss, use the percentage cost of your receiving path; estimate it with the other calculators first.
Effective rate after loss US$0.00 · 0 billable hours/yr
How these numbers connect
First, gross the target back up: because receiving takes a slice, the amount you must invoice is more than what you want to keep — target take-home divided by (1 − loss rate). Then spread it over the hours you can truly bill — billable hours per week times working weeks per year gives billable hours a year. Divide the two and you get the rate to charge. Note that "billable hours" are usually far fewer than the time you actually put in — finding work, communicating and rework don't bill directly, so price that in.
To get a single quote right, use the quote gross-up calculator; to push that loss figure down, compare channels first in four ways to get paid overseas.
FAQ
What's a realistic billable-hours-per-week figure?
For full-time freelancers, billable time is often 25 to 35 hours a week, with the rest going to finding work, communicating and admin. Setting it too high gives an artificially low rate that misleads you.
Why is the effective rate below the suggested rate?
The suggested rate is what you should invoice; the effective rate is what actually reaches you after receiving loss. The bigger the loss, the wider the gap — which is the point of controlling receiving costs.
Does this include tax?
No. It only accounts for receiving loss. Tax varies by person and place; this site gives no tax advice — consult a local professional.