Calculate your ideal hourly and project rates.
Typical: 1000-1500 hours/year
Software, equipment, insurance, taxes, etc.
Your target salary is only one part of a sustainable freelance rate. Include business expenses, taxes, time off, software, insurance, and the unpaid hours spent on proposals, administration, and client communication.
Use a realistic number of billable hours. A full working week rarely becomes a full week of paid client work, so an optimistic assumption can leave the final rate too low. Test conservative and ambitious scenarios to understand the range before quoting a project.
The result is a planning baseline, not a universal market price. Adjust it for project complexity, urgency, scope risk, and the value of your experience. Review the inputs whenever your costs or available hours change.
Use Vocash alongside this calculator to capture spending by voice, review entries later, and keep your day-to-day numbers current.