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Docket

Freelancers

Freelancer hourly rate calculator

Writers, designers, and other freelancers often sell a day or a project. An hourly figure is still the check: the income you want, plus software, insurance, and a laptop, spread over the hours you can bill.

A day rate is this hourly figure times the hours you call a day. Change the blanks. This is not a rate card.

Example starting point. Change every figure. This is not a rate card, and it does not calculate tax or super.

828 billable hours a year. Costs are $7.25 of each of those hours.

$115.94 an hour

(Income + costs) ÷ billable hours. A day rate is this figure times the hours you call a day.

Billable hours are weeks times hours a week times the share you can charge for. The rate is income plus costs, divided by those hours. Change the blanks before you treat the figure as yours. Not a rate card.

Short answers

How do I turn this into a day rate?

Multiply the hourly figure by the hours you treat as a day, often seven or eight. Say that number of hours in the quote so a long day is a variation, not a surprise.

Does this include tax or super?

No. It splits the income you type, plus the costs you type, across the hours you can bill. Income tax and super are separate. This is not tax advice and not a rate card.

Why are billable hours less than the hours I work?

Quoting, driving, picking up parts, and admin are often unpaid. The share you can bill is the part a client is actually charged for.

Try Docket free

Five jobs a month. A quote and its invoice count as one. No account. The PDF uses ABN, GST and Australian dates.

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