A rate is only meaningful against a cost, and the cost is not the salary divided by the hours worked. It is every annual charge divided by the hours a client actually pays for.
True hourly cost calculator
What one billable hour really costs you once unbillable time is removed.
Cost per billable hour
CHF 47.62
Billable hours
1,260 h
Unbillable hours
540 h
Calculated instantly in your browser · no data sent
How it works
- 1Add everything the business pays in a year, your own pay included.
- 2Enter the hours you actually work, not the hours in a year.
- 3Set the share spent on admin, sales and learning.
Who it's for
- •Checking that a rate covers its cost
- •Deciding whether to take a discounted project
- •Comparing in-house work to subcontracting
Pro tips
- If your rate is below this number, more work makes the loss bigger, not smaller.
- Thirty percent unbillable is normal for a solo business. Pretending otherwise inflates every other figure.
Related tools
Freelance day rate calculator, free
Work back from the income you want to the day rate you must charge, taxes and expenses included.
Billable utilization calculator
What share of your available hours you actually bill, and what the rest costs you.
Break-even calculator, free
Find how many units you must sell to cover your fixed costs, from your price and variable cost.
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