Find a realistic hourly rate that actually covers your work.
Plug in your income goals, expenses, and billable time to get a clearer minimum hourly rate as a freelancer or solo business owner—without a spreadsheet.
This calculator helps you reverse–engineer an hourly rate from your income goals, expenses, and realistic billable time.
What you want to pay yourself before tax.
Software, equipment, subscriptions, etc.
After holidays and planned breaks.
Total hours, not just client work.
% of time that's billable
Around 60% of your time will realistically be paid work once you factor in admin, marketing, and breaks.
Adjust the numbers to match your situation. This isn't financial advice—just a clearer starting point.
Suggested minimum hourly rate
RECOMMENDED FLOOR
£72.46 / hour
Your base rate would be around £60.39/hour before adding a 20% buffer for gaps, risk, and underestimates.
HOW THIS IS CALCULATED
We add your target income and yearly expenses, then divide by your realistic billable hours in a year. Finally, we add a buffer so you're not under–charging.
Based on your inputs, that's around 828 billable hours/year.
NOT JUST A RANDOM NUMBER
Price from the maths, not just your gut.
Most freelancers under–charge because they copy someone else's rate or pick a number that “feels ok”. This tool gives you a clearer starting point for your own situation.
Questions about the hourly rate calculator?
Here's what freelancers usually ask before they start adjusting their prices.
Who is this hourly rate calculator for?
This tool is designed for freelancers, contractors, and solo business owners who bill by the hour or by project and want a clearer baseline rate.
Does this include taxes?
No. The calculator focuses on pre-tax numbers. You can bake your expected tax rate into either your target income or yearly expenses.
What is “billable percentage”?
Billable percentage is the share of your total working time you can realistically invoice for—after accounting for admin, marketing, meetings, and time off.
Is this financial advice?
No. This is a planning tool, not financial advice. It gives you a clearer starting point so you’re not picking a number at random.
Can I use this with project pricing?
Yes. Once you have a clearer hourly rate, you can multiply by the realistic hours a project will take, including revisions and meetings.
Do you store any of my inputs?
No. Everything is calculated in your browser. Kompi does not store your numbers or assumptions from this tool.