What to charge as a freelancer

The hourly rate that actually pays you what you need.

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What you need to earn

Take-home a year

What you want left after tax.

Business costs a year

Software, insurance, accountant, kit.

Set aside for tax

How much you can actually bill

Hours a week

Weeks off a year

Holiday, illness, quiet spells.

Of that, billable

The rest goes on admin, quoting, and finding work.

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What to charge

$52.84 an hour

$422.71 a day, or $1,268.12 for a full billable week

An hour: $52.84
A day: $422.71
The business must bring in: $58,333.33; before tax and costs
Billable hours a year: 1,104; 736 unpaid

Dividing $40,000.00 by a 2,080-hour year would suggest $19.23 an hour. That figure ignores tax, business costs, 6 weeks nobody pays for, and the 736 hours a year that go on running the business.

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Cash runway — How many months the money lasts at the current rate.