Freelance rate calculator
Freelance Rate Calculator UK
Work out the hourly rate or day rate you need to charge to reach your income goal, after expenses, holidays and non-billable time.
£496.68
Minimum £431.89
£66.22
Minimum £57.59
Breakdown
- Working days / year
- 260
- Available working days
- 215
- Billable days / year
- 150.5
- Income goal + expenses
- £65,000.00
- With buffer
- £74,750.00
- Monthly revenue target
- £6,229.17
This calculator estimates the rate you need to charge before personal tax. It is not a tax calculator.
Freelance Rate Calculator
Freelance rates should cover your target income, business expenses and non-billable time. PoundKit's calculator helps freelancers estimate a sustainable hourly or daily rate based on their goals. Unlike an employee salary, freelancers need to account for holidays, admin time, software costs, taxes and periods without client work.
How to calculate your freelance rate
A sustainable freelance rate covers your income goal and business costs across the hours you can actually bill to clients.
- Choose your target annual income.
- Add business expenses.
- Estimate realistic billable hours.
- Calculate your required hourly or daily rate.
Example
Business expenses: £5,000/year
Billable hours: 1,000/year
Required rate: £55/hour
UK freelance rate examples by seniority (2026)
The same formula produces very different numbers depending on your experience level, expenses and how much of the year you can realistically bill. These three worked examples use a 7.5-hour day and UK-typical holiday and admin allowances.
Junior freelancer (0–2 years)
Expenses: £3,000
Billable days: 150/year
≈ £220/day · £29/hour
Lower utilisation is normal early on: more time goes on finding clients and learning.
Mid-level freelancer (3–6 years)
Expenses: £6,000
Billable days: 165/year
≈ £370/day · £49/hour
Repeat clients and referrals lift billable days without extra marketing cost.
Senior / specialist (7+ years)
Expenses: £10,000
Billable days: 170/year
≈ £560/day · £75/hour
Specialist positioning supports higher day rates on shorter, better defined projects.
If you charge a day rate, remember that London contract work typically prices 10–25% above regional rates, and that VAT sits on top of your rate once you pass the registration threshold — check it with the VAT calculator and compare real figures in the UK Freelance Rates Dataset.
UK freelance rate benchmarks
Compare your calculated rate with benchmark ranges from the PoundKit UK Freelance Rates Dataset 2026.
Software Developer
Junior
£35–£60 /hour
Software Developer
Senior
£80–£150 /hour
Graphic Designer
Mid
£35–£60 /hour
Graphic Designer
Senior
£55–£95 /hour
Marketing Consultant
Mid
£50–£85 /hour
Hourly benchmark range
£55–£90 /hour
Daily benchmark range
£400–£650 /day
Benchmark ranges are reference estimates, not guaranteed market prices. Actual freelance rates vary by experience, specialization, location and project complexity. Last reviewed: 2026-08-14.
View full UK Freelance Rates Dataset →How the calculation works
workingDays = daysPerWeek × 52
availableDays = workingDays − holidays − sickAdmin
billableDays = availableDays × billable% ÷ 100
annualTarget = (income + expenses) × (1 + buffer% ÷ 100)
dayRate = annualTarget ÷ billableDays
hourlyRate = dayRate ÷ hoursPerDay
Freelance pricing methodology
A sustainable freelance rate depends on:
- desired income
- business expenses
- working weeks
- available working hours
- realistic billable utilization
Freelancers cannot usually bill every working hour. Time spent on administration, sales, learning and business management should be considered. See how typical outcomes compare in the UK Freelance Rates Dataset.
How this calculator works
PoundKit publishes the formulas and test cases behind its calculators in an open-source repository.
Why billable days matter
You don't bill clients for sales calls, admin, invoicing, learning or writing proposals. Most established freelancers bill 60–75% of their working time. New freelancers often bill less. Don't divide your target income by total working days — divide by the days you actually invoice for.
Worked examples — Designer, Developer, Consultant (UK)
Freelance designer
- Target take-home: £55,000
- Business expenses: £6,000 (Adobe, Figma, laptop)
- Billable: 70% · Buffer: 15%
≈ £470 day rate · £63/hr
Most UK designers charge project fees derived from this day rate.
Freelance developer
- Target take-home: £70,000
- Business expenses: £4,000 (hosting, tools, training)
- Billable: 75% · Buffer: 15%
≈ £540 day rate · £72/hr
Contract dev roles typically quote day rate; freelance product work often quotes hourly.
Consultant
- Target take-home: £80,000
- Business expenses: £4,000
- Billable: 60% (heavy BD) · Buffer: 20%
≈ £820 day rate · £109/hr
Consulting is time-limited and expertise-priced — quote day rate or fixed engagement fee.
Illustrative figures at 5 working days/week, 25 holiday + 20 sick/admin days, 7.5 hrs/day. Adjust the inputs above to match your situation.
Hourly rate vs day rate
Hourly rates work best for small, unpredictable pieces of work. Day rates work best for continuous engagements where the client books your time in blocks. Read the full hourly vs day rate guide.
| Aspect | Hourly rate | Day rate |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Ad-hoc, tweaks, support | Sprints, retainers, contracting |
| Client perception | Small unit — easy yes | Committed pro — bigger yes |
| Admin overhead | Higher — timesheets | Lower — days booked |
| Revenue predictability | Lumpy | Smoother |
| Typical UK freelancer | £45–£120/hr | £350–£900/day |
Questions
How much should a freelancer charge in the UK?
UK freelance rates vary by profession, experience and specialization. PoundKit provides benchmark ranges and a calculator to estimate a sustainable personal rate.How do I calculate a freelance hourly rate?
Estimate your required annual income and business costs, then divide by realistic annual billable hours.How do I calculate my day rate?
Same maths, but divide by billable days per year instead of billable hours. Day rates are common for ongoing or week-long engagements.What is a good freelance day rate?
A suitable day rate depends on skills, experience, market demand and client type. Benchmark ranges can help provide a reference point.What is billable time?
The hours or days you actually invoice clients for. Sales calls, admin, learning and proposal writing are usually not billable.Should freelancers charge more than employees?
Freelancers usually need higher hourly rates because they cover their own benefits, business costs, administration time and unpaid periods.Should I include tax in my freelance rate?
The figure you enter here is your target take-home before personal tax. Use HMRC's calculators or speak to your accountant to plan for income tax and National Insurance.How often should I review my rate?
Annually at minimum, plus whenever your costs, target income or billable time change significantly.
Open Source Calculator Library
PoundKit publishes calculation formulas and automated tests to make business calculations easier to understand and verify.
- ✓
Formula documentation
Every calculation written out with worked examples.
- ✓
Test cases
Automated inputs and expected outputs for each calculator.
- ✓
Open-source implementation
Review the code and adapt it for your own tools.
Related guides
Templates you can use
Real-world examples
Related tools
Freelance Project Price Calculator →
Turn your freelance rate into a project price.
How Much Should I Charge? →
UK freelance rate benchmarks by profession and experience.
Freelancer Toolkit →
All pricing, invoicing and tax tools in one place.
Invoice Generator →
Invoice the rate you set.
Profit Margin →
Sense-check your pricing.
Break-even →
Know your minimum sales volume.