Freelance Rate Calculator
Know your number before you quote.
Most freelancers pick a rate by guessing what sounds polite — then discover the guess didn't cover taxes, admin, or the weeks without client work. The Freelance Rate Calculator works in the other direction: start from the life the rate has to pay for, divide by the hours you can actually bill, and end with numbers you can say out loud.
What's Included
- Your Number — work backwards from monthly life costs, business costs, and your tax set-aside.
- Reality Check — the billable-hours audit that finds the roughly half of your week that actually earns.
- Your Rate Card — hourly floor, comfortable rate, day rate, and the smallest project you accept, decided once instead of improvised under pressure.
- Quote a Project — a one-page quote builder you copy for every project: honest hours, buffer, flat fee, deposit, and revision boundaries.
- Guard the Rate — the quiet rules that keep your number intact when a client conversation gets uncomfortable.
Who is This For
Ideal for solo freelance designers, writers, illustrators, and makers setting their own rate for the first time — or raising it after a year of undercharging. It pairs naturally with the free online Rate Calculator; the PDF adds the rate card and quote builder you can copy and reuse for every project.
6-page fillable PDF · Instant download · Use digitally or print · Undated and reusable
Included in the Complete System
This kit is one of the five tools in The Complete Freelance Client Work System — every Open Margin tool in one download, $69 worth of tools for $49. See the complete system →
One-time purchase
$7
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