Self-Employed Rate Calculator

Because a rate that sounds fine in your head rarely survives expenses and tax. Starting from the money you actually need to live, then adding back the costs of running a business, gives you a floor you can defend — not a number you picked because it felt round.

The share of what you invoice that you expect to go on tax, including any self-employment or social contributions where you live. It depends on your country, your income and your deductions, so there's no single right number — last year's tax return, your tax authority's guidance or an accountant will give you a figure for your situation. The calculator grosses your rate up so that, after that share goes to tax, your costs and take-home are still covered.

Fewer than the hours you work. Sales calls, proposals, invoicing, email and finding the next client are all unpaid, so only part of your week can be billed. Enter the hours you can genuinely bill in a typical week. The calculator calls more than 28 a week ambitious and more than 35 optimistic — and the fewer billable hours you enter, the higher the rate it shows you need.

It is the difference between surviving and building something. A buffer covers the quiet months, the client who pays late, the laptop that dies, and the time off you'll want to take. The percentage you enter is added on top of your take-home and expenses, so a break-even rate becomes one with room to spare.