Treat it as a floor
The calculator estimates the minimum rate needed to support your income goal after expenses, taxes, unpaid work, and time off.
Freelance pricing tool
Calculate the hourly rate your business actually needs.
Convert target income, expenses, taxes, unpaid time, and realistic billable hours into a practical freelance rate.
Pricing guide
How to use the number
Quote projects with a buffer
For fixed-fee work, estimate hours conservatively and add margin for revisions, project management, and client communication.
Review quarterly
Update the inputs when your expenses, tax situation, availability, or demand changes.
Launch offer
Personal Balance Sheet workbook
A printable workbook for seeing assets, debts, monthly obligations, and runway in one place before you set rates or take on bigger freelance decisions.
$9.99
$19.99
Launch price through June 30, 2026
- Assets and liabilities snapshot
- Net worth and liquid runway pages
- Monthly obligations worksheet
- Freelance readiness check
If it is not useful, request a full refund within 7 days.
What's inside
Eight printable pages for a cleaner money snapshot
Asset inventory
List cash, savings, investments, retirement accounts, business cash, and other assets with notes.
Liability inventory
Capture debts, balances, minimum payments, interest rates, and the obligations creating pressure.
Net worth and runway
Turn the totals into net worth, liquid assets, must-pay monthly expenses, and runway.
Monthly obligations
Separate must-pay expenses from flexible spending before making rate, career, or freelance decisions.
Freelance readiness
Connect your financial baseline to the rate calculator, quote decisions, and near-term next actions.
7-day cleanup plan
Use a short sequence to gather balances, estimate obligations, review debts, and choose one cleanup action.
FAQ
Common questions
Is this tax advice?
No. This is a planning calculator. The tax input is only a rough estimate so you can see how taxes affect the rate you may need. Confirm tax assumptions, deductions, and local rules with a qualified professional.
Why include weeks off?
Freelancers usually cannot bill every working week. Vacations, sick days, holidays, client gaps, admin work, sales calls, onboarding, and professional development all reduce the number of hours that can realistically be invoiced.
Should my public rate be higher?
Often, yes. The result is a rate floor, not a ceiling. Your public rate may be higher if you have specialized expertise, strong demand, fast turnaround, unusual risk, or work that creates meaningful business value for the client.
What counts as a business expense?
Common examples include software subscriptions, equipment, payment processing fees, insurance, contractors, bookkeeping, coworking, education, professional services, marketing, and business travel. Use annual estimates so the calculator can spread those costs across your billable hours.
Why is my calculated rate higher than expected?
Employee salaries and freelance rates are not the same. A freelancer usually pays for non-billable time, tools, taxes, benefits, sales, admin, and gaps between projects. The calculator makes those hidden costs visible.
How should I use this for fixed-price projects?
Estimate the total hours required, multiply by your calculated rate, then add a project buffer for revisions, communication, delays, and uncertainty. The worksheet is designed to make that project quote math easier.
How often should I update my rate?
Review it at least quarterly, or whenever expenses, availability, demand, or client quality changes. A small quarterly review is often easier than waiting years and making one large jump.
Why offer a personal balance sheet with a rate calculator?
Freelance pricing is easier when you know your real financial baseline. A balance sheet helps separate income goals from current obligations, debts, cash, and runway, so the rate decision is less abstract.
How do I get the PDF after paying?
During the temporary email checkout phase, request the workbook by email and delivery is handled manually. After Gumroad or Payhip is connected, checkout and PDF delivery will be automatic.
What format is the workbook?
It is a US Letter PDF designed for printing or writing on with a tablet PDF annotation app.
How do refunds work?
If the workbook is not useful, request a full refund within 7 days by emailing jkirshenman@gmail.com.