Freelance salary / day rate calculator
Calculate a target freelance day rate from your desired net income, expenses and billable days.
This choice applies to every calculator; amounts are not converted.
Freelance salary / day rate
Set your target net income and activity assumptions to get an indicative day rate.
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How does this tool work?
This calculator estimates a freelance day rate from your target monthly net income, business expenses, contributions and actual billable days.
Required monthly revenue covers the target net income, expenses and estimated contributions.
Billable days are calculated from working days and the billable percentage.
The day rate then divides required revenue by the number of billable days.
The calculation separates your personal income target from business expenses, then accounts for an overall contribution rate before spreading the required revenue across only the days you can actually bill. This makes it easy to test the effect of non-billable time and avoids setting a day rate by simply dividing a monthly salary target by all working days.
How to use this tool
Set your target income
Enter the monthly net amount you want to keep.
Add expenses and contributions
Enter your business costs and an estimated overall contribution rate.
Estimate billable days
Enter your working days and the share you can actually invoice.
Review the target rate
The day rate, hourly rate and required revenue are calculated automatically.
Target daily rate
Target daily rate
Target day rate = (target monthly net income ÷ (1 − contributions and deductions rate ÷ 100) + monthly business expenses) ÷ (working days per month × share of billable days ÷ 100)
- t
- Target day rate
- N
- Target monthly net income
- c
- Contributions and deductions rate (%)
- F
- Monthly business expenses
- J
- Working days per month
- f
- Share of billable days (%)
Use cases
Set your day rate
Determine a rate consistent with your income target.
Test your utilization rate
Measure how non-billable days affect your rate.
Prepare a negotiation
Estimate the minimum rate needed to preserve your income target.
Examples
Targeting €3,000 net a month as a freelancer
3,000 ÷ (1 − 25%) + 500 = €4,500 of monthly revenue, spread over 20 × 80% = 16 billable days: €281.25 a day.
Input
Target monthly net income: €3,000; Monthly business expenses: €500; Working days per month: 20 days; Share of billable days: 80%; Contributions and deductions rate: 25%Result
Target day rate: €281.25; Required monthly revenue: €4,500; Billable days / month: 16; Indicative annual revenue: €54,000Tips and best practices
- Allow room for holidays, prospecting, administration, training and gaps between contracts.
- Use a contribution rate that reflects your own situation instead of relying on a generic default.
- Test several billable-day percentages because small utilization changes can materially affect the required day rate.
Sources and references
Frequently asked questions
What is a freelance day rate?
It is the amount invoiced for one day of freelance work.
Why are not all working days billable?
Prospecting, administration, training, holidays and gaps between contracts reduce the number of days you can invoice.
Does this replace a tax or legal-status simulator?
No. The contribution rate is configurable on purpose: the result is a planning estimate, not an official tax or social-security calculation.
Should my day rate account for time between contracts?
Yes. Non-billable days reduce the days available to cover your costs and target income.
What basis is used for the indicative hourly rate?
The tool divides the target day rate by 7 hours. If your billed days are longer or shorter, adjust the hourly figure yourself: with a €500 day rate, an 8-hour day gives €62.50 per hour instead of about €71.43.
Does the annual turnover account for holidays?
The indicative annual turnover multiplies the required monthly turnover by 12. Holidays, training and gaps between contracts are handled through working days per month and the billable share: lower them to reflect a realistic year.
Does the calculated day rate include VAT?
No. The day rate covers your net income, contributions and expenses. If your business charges VAT, it is added on the invoice and paid over to the tax authority: it is not part of your income.
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