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The Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator determines the minimum hourly rate a freelancer must charge to cover expenses, taxes, benefits, and desired profit margin, working backward from annual income goals and billable hours.
공식
Hourly Rate = (Target Income + Self-Employment Tax + Benefits + Expenses) / Annual Billable Hours
- Ti
- Target Annual Income ($/year) — Desired take-home income before personal income tax
- SE
- Self-Employment Tax ($/year) — Combined Social Security and Medicare tax (15.3% of net earnings)
- BH
- Annual Billable Hours (hours) — Hours actually billed to clients per year (typically 1,000-1,500)
- Exp
- Business Expenses ($/year) — Software, equipment, marketing, professional development, and other overhead
단계별 가이드
- 1Enter your desired annual take-home income (equivalent salary)
- 2Add self-employment tax (15.3%), health insurance, retirement contributions, and business expenses
- 3Estimate annual billable hours (typically 1,000-1,500 out of 2,080 work hours)
- 4The calculator divides total required revenue by billable hours to determine your minimum rate
풀어진 예시
입력
Target income: $80,000, SE tax: $12,240, health insurance: $7,200, expenses: $5,000, 1,200 billable hours
결과
Rate = ($80,000 + $12,240 + $7,200 + $5,000) / 1,200 = $87.03/hour minimum
입력
Target income: $120,000, all costs: $35,000, 1,000 billable hours, 20% profit margin
결과
Rate = ($120,000 + $35,000) x 1.20 / 1,000 = $186.00/hour
피해야 할 일반적인 실수
- ✕Using 2,080 hours (full-time equivalent) as billable hours — freelancers typically bill only 50-70% of their time after accounting for admin, marketing, and unbillable work
- ✕Forgetting self-employment tax (15.3% on first $168,600 in 2024) which W-2 employees split with their employer
- ✕Not including unpaid time off (vacation, sick days, holidays) in the calculation — freelancers get no paid leave
자주 묻는 질문
What is a good freelance utilization rate?
Most successful freelancers bill 60-75% of their available working hours. New freelancers should budget conservatively at 50% utilization. The remaining time goes to invoicing, marketing, professional development, and administrative work.
How do freelance rates compare to salary equivalents?
A general rule: to match a $100,000 salary with benefits, a freelancer needs to earn $130,000-$160,000 gross to cover self-employment tax, health insurance, retirement, and unpaid time off. This typically translates to $90-130/hour.
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