Freelance Rate Calculator
Enter your numbers and get your minimum, market, and value-based rates instantly — then build your 3-tier package.
Enter your real costs — don’t underestimate. Include business AND relevant personal expenses.
What you want to take home — before tax. Be ambitious but honest.
How many hours per week do you work? Adjust the billable % — admin, pitching, and breaks eat into it.
Select your experience level and niche to see where the market typically pays. Then adjust for your specific situation.
Adjust the sliders to reflect your specific situation. Each factor moves your rate within the market range.
Value-based pricing anchors your fee to the outcome you create — not your time. Fill in what you know about the client’s situation.
Ask these in your next client call to uncover the real value of the work before you quote anything.
“What does it cost you when this problem isn’t solved?” — Surfaces the pain and ongoing cost of inaction.
“What’s the revenue opportunity if we get this right?” — This is your value anchor number.
“How long have you been dealing with this?” — Reveals urgency and stakes.
“What would achieving [outcome] mean for your business in 90 days?” — Emotional ROI.
“What have you tried before, and what did that cost?” — Sets a comparison point for your fee.
Packages shift the conversation from “should I hire you?” to “which option suits me?” Enter your floor rate and project hours to generate your tiers automatically.
Present all three options in every proposal — it anchors the middle tier as the obvious choice.
Design the Growth tier first — the one you want most clients to choose — then build up and down from it.
The Premium tier serves as an anchor — most clients won’t choose it, but it makes Growth look like great value.
Never let the Starter tier include everything the client actually needs — they’ll choose Growth instead.
Personalise this email for your client. Give at least 30 days notice.
30-day minimum notice. Most good clients will accept a reasonable increase with enough warning.
Be confident, not apologetic. Your rate is a fact, not a request for permission. Present it as you’d state today’s date.
Anchor to results. Reference a specific win you delivered — it reminds the client of your value.
If they say no: This tells you something useful. Either renegotiate scope, or plan to replace them with a higher-paying client.
Get the printable Rate Calculator worksheets
We’ll email you the free PDF — fill-in worksheets for all 3 pricing methods, the package builder, and the rate increase script. Print it or save it for reference.