Freelance rate calculator
Turn a target take-home income into an hourly rate: tax, business overhead, a safety buffer and your billable hours per year are all accounted for, with a minimum floor rate.
Runs in your browserEvery computation happens in your browser — your data never leaves this device.
Income target and costs
Formula: gross = net ÷ (1 − tax rate), plus overhead and the buffer, divided by billable hours per week × working weeks per year. The default is 1150 billable hours rather than the 2080-hour employee basis.
Suggested pricing
1150 hours375,000.00 CNY75,000.00 CNY40,500.00 CNY445,500.00 CNY3,099.12 CNY9,684.75 CNY37,125.00 CNY352.17 CNYWhat this tool does
- New to freelancing and unsure what to charge: set a take-home target and let the tool fold in tax, overhead and slow periods.
- Know your walk-away number: the minimum hourly rate is the floor — anything below it is a pay cut.
- Build a quote sheet: copy the day rate, weekly rate and monthly revenue straight into your contract or pricing page.
- Decide whether a long project is worth it: change the billable hours to what you can realistically commit and see if the rate still holds.
Example
Input
Target take-home 300000 CNY/year, overhead 30000 CNY/year, 20% combined tax, 10% buffer, 25 billable hours a week over 46 weeks
Output
Suggested hourly rate 387.39 CNY; 1150 billable hours, 375,000.00 CNY gross needed, 75,000.00 CNY of that is tax, 40,500.00 CNY buffer, 445,500.00 CNY to invoice, day rate 3,099.12 CNY, weekly rate 9,684.75 CNY, monthly revenue 37,125.00 CNY, minimum hourly rate 352.17 CNY
The minimum rate is the floor with no buffer; set the buffer to 0 and the suggested rate falls back to 352.17 CNY.
Frequently asked questions
Why only 25 billable hours a week?
You may spend 40 hours at the desk, but prospecting, quoting, calls, invoicing, admin, learning and rework earn nothing — typically only about half your time is billable. 25 hours × 46 weeks = 1150 hours is far more realistic than the 2080-hour employee basis, and you can adjust both numbers.
What is the buffer for?
Freelance income is lumpy: quiet seasons, late payers, scope changes and rework all happen. A buffer (usually 10%–20%) is added on top of the income you need so you can hit the target without being fully booked. Set it to 0 and the “minimum hourly rate” becomes your absolute floor.
What tax rate should I enter?
Blend income tax and social contributions into one rough percentage — 20% means a fifth of your gross income goes out the door. This tool is a pricing estimate, not a tax calculation, so check your local rules for the exact figure.
The rate it suggests is much higher than my salaried hourly rate. Is that right?
Yes, and that is the point. Freelancing means no paid holiday, no employer social contributions, no paid sick leave and no paid training time, so your rate has to clear all of that before it beats a salaried job.
Any floating point surprises?
None. Every amount is computed in integer cents and only divided by 100 for display, so 300000 ÷ 3 will not leave a long floating tail.
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