Take-home
What you want left for yourself after taxes — your personal salary target.
Tool 05
Freelance rate finder.
New contractors underprice when they forget overhead, tax, and time off. This turns the life you want into a minimum hourly and day rate — not a wishlist, a floor.
Billable hours
Hours you can actually invoice. Not a 40-hour week — often 20–30 after admin and sales.
Overhead
Software, insurance, coworking, gear, accountant — annual business costs.
Rate floor
Lowest hourly / day rate that still funds take-home + overhead + tax buffer.
Example
Want $75,000 take-home, $8,000 overhead, 15% tax buffer, 25 billable hours/week, 4 weeks off → about $81/hr and $651/day (8-hour day). Quote above that; never below without a reason.
Why isn’t this my “market rate”?
Market rate is what clients will pay. This is your survival floor. If the market is below your floor, you need cheaper overhead, more billable hours, a niche that pays more — or a different model.
Should I charge my floor?
No — charge above it. The floor is the “don’t go lower” line for discounts and friends-and-family rates.
Is the tax % accurate?
It’s a planning buffer, not a tax filing. Self-employment and income tax vary by country. Use Custom % that matches your accountant’s guidance.