Freelance

What you actually need to charge

Start from what you need to earn, what it costs you to work and the hours you can genuinely invoice, and see what rate falls out. Nothing you type leaves this tab.

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What freelancers charge, by trade

Trade	Median	Range	Source
Virtual assistant	$13 an hour	$10 to $20, typically	Upwork
Translator	$20 an hour	$15 to $25, typically	Upwork
SEO expert	$21 an hour	$15 to $35, typically	Upwork
Interior designer	$22 an hour	$15 to $28, typically	Upwork
Graphic designer	$25 an hour	$15 to $35, typically	Upwork
Illustrator	$25 an hour	$15 to $30, typically	Upwork
Copywriter	$30 an hour	$19 to $45, typically	Upwork
Data analyst	$30 an hour	$20 to $50, typically	Upwork
Voice actor	$55 an hour	$40 to $85, typically	Upwork

These are the hourly rates Upwork publishes for each trade, from contracts on its marketplace worldwide, so they sit well below what the same work fetches from direct clients in the US, Canada or Europe. They are a floor to know, not a target. The calculator below starts from what you need instead.

The calculation

Fill in what you know. The defaults are a starting point, not a recommendation.

Take-home you want, a year

After tax. What actually reaches your account.

Business costs, a year

Software, insurance, hardware, accountant, workspace, training.

Tax and contributions, per cent

Everything you set aside before the money is yours.

Weeks you work, a year

52 minus holiday, illness and the week you lose to admin.

Hours a week you are available

Of those, per cent you can invoice

The one people get wrong. Pitching, quoting, invoicing, chasing, marketing and admin are not billable.

How it works

Everything on this page is worked out in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere or stored when you close the tab.

Doing this often? OBSCURA Books turns the rate into invoices with VAT, matches the payments from the bank, and shows what the year actually made. On its own, US$4 a month; with everything else, US$9 a month or US$79 a year. 7 days free.