Calculate Your Real Freelance Hourly Rate

Because the income goal you typed is what you want to take home after taxes. To take home €80.000 at a 25% tax rate, you need to earn about €107.000 gross. Most freelance rate calculators skip this step, which is why their results undercharge by 25%+.

1.440 is a realistic working baseline: 30 billable hours per week × 48 weeks (4 weeks for holidays, sickness, admin). Don’t use 40 × 52 = 2.080 — that’s a salaried employee with paid leave, not a freelancer.

Use your effective tax rate including income tax, social security/self-employment tax, and VAT if you can’t reclaim it. For EU freelancers, 25–35% is a common range. For US freelancers, 25–30%. Your accountant has the exact number.

Either raise rates (gradually with existing clients, immediately with new ones), reduce business expenses, or accept that you’re subsidizing your clients. Most freelancers underprice for 2–3 years before they fix it. Earlier is cheaper.

The math is universal. Only the tax rate input changes by country. Currency is cosmetic — change it to USD or GBP if you prefer.

It’s a top-of-funnel lead magnet for Folio Supply’s paid products (the Financial Dashboard, Proposal Kit, and Business Command Center). The calculator and PDF are genuinely free — no email required to use the calculator. The email signup is opt-in, in exchange for the PDF report and occasional emails.