Calculator · 100% free, no signup · Updated May 2026
What to charge — backed by hours, overhead, and market.
A free pricing calculator for freelance creators and consultants. Inputs: hours per project, hourly rate, overhead percentage. Outputs: project price, retainer rate, day rate, and the breakeven point between hourly and value-based pricing.
Enter your income goal + billable hours per month + overhead. The calculator outputs minimum project rate, hourly rate, and retainer rate that hit your income goal after overhead.
Your goals
Hourly
$154
Minimum to hit your goal
Project (40hr)
$6154
Per 40-hour engagement
Retainer/mo
$4615
30 hrs/mo commitment
Math
$8000/mo after-tax ÷ (1 − 35% overhead) = $12308/mo gross ÷ 80hr = $154/hr minimum.
Who this is for
Freelance creators, video editors, and consultants pricing their first or fifth client.
The problem this solves
Most freelancers price too low because they think in hourly rates without overhead. The calculator includes overhead (taxes, equipment, software, vacation, sick days, training) so the rate you set actually pays your bills.
Freelance creators who price on value (not hours) earn on average 2-4× more per project — yet 67% of creators under $100k/yr still bill hourly because they've never mapped the value-pricing math.
Source: Upwork Creator Income Report 2024 + Freelancers Union Pricing Survey 2024
How to use it
- 01
Enter income goal
After-tax income target per month.
- 02
Billable hours / month
How many billable hours you can realistically do. Default 80 (= 4 hrs/day × 5 days × 4 weeks).
- 03
Overhead %
Default 35%. Includes taxes, equipment, software, vacation, training.
- 04
Get rate tiers
Hourly + project + retainer rates that hit your goal after overhead.
What you get
- ✓ Hourly / project / retainer rate tiers
- ✓ Overhead-adjusted (not naive)
- ✓ Income goal traceable to numbers
- ✓ Comparison vs market median
Frequently asked
How do I calculate my hourly rate?
Annual income goal ÷ billable hours per year (typically 1,200-1,600 for solo). Add 30% overhead for non-billable work and taxes. The calculator does this math.
What's the right overhead percentage?
30-50% for solo creators. Covers: taxes (~25%), tools/software (~5-10%), non-billable admin/marketing (~10-20%).
Should I price hourly or per-project?
Per-project for everything you've done 3+ times before. Hourly only for novel/discovery work where scope is unknown.
How is this different from the sponsorship rate calculator?
Sponsorship calculator: brand-deal pricing per follower/engagement. This calculator: freelance services pricing per project/retainer. Different income streams.
How often should I raise my rates?
Every 6-12 months for new clients, every 12-18 months for existing. Most creators undercharge by 30-50% because they never raise rates.
Related tools
Author + maintainer
Adrian Berisha — Founder of Clipflow. Indie SaaS builder shipping creator tools full-time since 2024. All tools and benchmarks on this page are reviewed quarterly. Last review: May 2026.
@clipflow on X · LinkedIn · hi@clipflow.to
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