Freelance Rate Calculator

It depends on your skill, experience and location. In 2026, a mid-level web developer in the US typically charges $50–80/hr, while an AI/ML engineer charges $70–120/hr. Use the calculator above: pick your skill, experience level and country to get a tailored rate band instantly.

A day rate is usually your hourly rate multiplied by 8 billable hours. A typical 2-week project (10 working days) is your hourly rate times 80. A monthly retainer assumes about 160 billable hours. The calculator does all of these conversions for you.

Freelancers cover their own taxes, health insurance, retirement, unpaid vacation and sick days, plus business overhead and non-billable time spent on sales and admin. A common rule is to charge roughly 40% above the equivalent salaried hourly rate to break even.

Most full-time freelancers bill 25–35 hours per week. The rest goes to proposals, meetings, invoicing and marketing. Our income projections default to 30 billable hours per week, which you can adjust with the slider.

Rates scale with local cost of living and demand. Using the US as a baseline (1.0x), the UK runs about 0.85x, Australia 0.9x, Canada 0.8x, Eastern Europe 0.5x, India 0.3x and the Philippines 0.25x. Remote work is narrowing these gaps for top talent.

If your rate falls below the low end of your skill-and-experience band shown in the calculator, you are likely undercharging. Raising rates to the midpoint ("sweet spot") typically increases income without reducing bookings for in-demand skills.