What Should I Charge?
Enter an income target, realistic billable hours and your positioning. Get an hourly rate, a day rate and a project minimum you can say out loud.
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How to think about your freelance rate
Most freelancers set their rate by looking at what others charge and picking a number that feels safe. The problem is "safe" usually means "below what the market would pay" — because underpricing feels less risky than losing a deal. But the math doesn't care about feelings. If your rate doesn't cover your income target at the hours you can realistically bill, you're already losing.
The floor is non-negotiable. Divide your monthly target by your billable hours and that's the minimum you need to charge per hour before positioning. Every discount below that floor means you work more hours, not fewer. Every client who pushes you below it is costing you money even when they pay.
Positioning is where most freelancers leave money on the table. Commodity work competes on price. Mid-market work competes on reliability and delivery. Premium work competes on expertise and outcome — the client is buying the result, not the hours. The higher up you position, the smaller your client pool gets, but the better your margins. Niche down until it feels uncomfortable, then niche down again.