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.
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
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 do I calculate my freelance hourly rate?
Add your target take-home income to your business expenses, then divide by the hours you can realistically bill in a year (after holidays, sick days, admin and non-billable time).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 billable time?
The hours or days you actually invoice clients for. Sales calls, admin, learning and proposal writing are usually not billable.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.Why is my freelance rate higher than an employee salary?
Because you pay your own pension, holidays, sick days, equipment and tax — and you don't bill 100% of your working time. The same take-home income needs a higher headline rate.How often should I review my rate?
Annually at minimum, plus whenever your costs, target income or billable time change significantly.