Freelance hourly rate calculator (2026)
Start from the money you want to keep. Get the hourly and day rate that pays for it.
How the math works
The calculator works backward. It finds the net profit that leaves your target take-home after taxes, adds your business expenses, and spreads the total over the hours you can actually bill.
Self-employment tax is 15.3% (12.4% Social Security plus 2.9% Medicare) on 92.35% of net profit, per IRS Topic 554. The Social Security part stops at the 2026 wage base of $184,500 (SSA). Medicare has no cap. Above $200,000 single, $250,000 joint or $125,000 married filing separately, a 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax applies (IRS Topic 560). No SE tax is due if 92.35% of profit is under $400.
Income tax depends on your state, deductions and household, so you set it as a percentage. It is applied to profit minus half of the SE tax, which the IRS lets you deduct. Use your effective rate (federal plus state), not your top bracket.
Billable hours are (52 − weeks off) × billable hours per week. The hourly rate is rounded up to the cent. The day rate is the hourly rate times the hours in a billed day.
For general information only, based on IRS and SSA figures for tax year 2026. Not tax, legal or financial advice. Your state taxes, deductions and credits will change the result; check with a CPA, an enrolled agent or the IRS.