Know your actual freelance earning power after costs and downtime. Test pricing across monthly workloads. Plan better rates and protect profit on every project.
| Scenario | Gross Income | Total Hours | Fees + Taxes + Costs | Net Income | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter month | $2,400 | 42 | $760 | $1,640 | $39.05/hr |
| Balanced month | $3,000 | 47 | $920 | $2,080 | $44.26/hr |
| Premium month | $4,500 | 54 | $1,280 | $3,220 | $59.63/hr |
Gross Income = Project Income + Retainer Income + Other Income
Total Hours = Billable Hours + Admin Hours + Marketing Hours + Revision Hours
Platform Fees = Gross Income × Platform Fee %
Processing Fees = Gross Income × Processing Fee %
Tax Reserve = (Gross Income − Platform Fees − Processing Fees) × Tax Reserve %
Net Income = Gross Income − Platform Fees − Processing Fees − Tax Reserve − Direct Expenses − Software Costs
Effective Hourly Rate = Net Income ÷ Total Hours
Billable Hourly Rate = Net Income ÷ Billable Hours
Utilization Rate = Billable Hours ÷ Total Hours × 100
Suggested Billable Rate = (Target Monthly Income + Total Expenses) ÷ (Billable Hours × (1 − Combined Fees) × (1 − Tax Reserve %))
Your advertised rate rarely matches your real earnings. Freelancers lose time to proposals, revisions, calls, invoicing, and unpaid client communication. This calculator combines working time and deductions into one clearer number, helping you set sustainable prices, compare clients, and protect long-term profitability.
It also highlights utilization and capacity. A higher nominal rate can still underperform if admin work is heavy or fees are large. By modeling taxes, expenses, and downtime together, you can see whether a project supports your monthly income target or quietly drains your available time.
It is your real earnings per total hour worked after fees, taxes, and business costs. It includes unpaid work, not just client-facing hours.
Those hours consume capacity and reduce true profit per hour. Ignoring them can make your pricing look better than it really is.
This tool uses a tax reserve to support planning. It helps you set aside cash early, though actual tax treatment depends on your location and business structure.
Utilization rate shows the share of total time that is billable. Higher utilization usually improves earnings if your pricing and delivery quality remain strong.
It estimates the billable rate needed to reach your target income after typical deductions. This helps with retainers, project quotes, and new pricing decisions.
Yes. Enter the project fee as income and include all hours spent on delivery, revisions, and support. The calculator converts fixed pricing into an hourly view.
Run several scenarios using light, average, and busy months. Comparing outcomes helps you choose a rate that remains sustainable across changing workloads.
Yes. Your effective rate gives a stronger basis for explaining why a quote must cover revisions, downtime, software tools, and payment deductions.
Important Note: All the Calculators listed in this site are for educational purpose only and we do not guarentee the accuracy of results. Please do consult with other sources as well.