Built and maintained by Prajwal Karkera, a digital product specialist with 8+ years of experience in digital products. Found a problem with this tool? Let us know through the Contact page.
Read more about me →
Find the hourly rate you should charge to take home the income you want, after costs, fees and tax.
Last updated:
Your numbers stay on your device. Nothing is uploaded.
Hourly rate = (take-home + costs + fees + tax) ÷ billable hours a year
| Salaried job | Freelance | |
|---|---|---|
| Paid hours a year | ~2,000 (all working hours) | ~1,000-1,400 (billable only) |
| Paid leave | Yes | No |
| PF, gratuity, insurance | Paid by employer | Paid by you |
| Laptop, software, internet | Provided | Paid by you |
| Time on sales, calls, invoices | Not your problem | Unpaid |
So a freelancer usually needs about 1.5-2× the hourly rate of a salaried job to take home the same.
| Situation | Billable hours a week |
|---|---|
| Starting out, finding clients | 10-20 |
| Steady clients, some sales work | 20-30 |
| Fully booked, long contracts | 30-35 |
Plan with 46 working weeks: 52 minus holidays, sick days and gaps between projects.
| Pricing | Best when | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly | Scope is unclear or keeps changing | Share weekly time reports |
| Daily | You work on-site or in full-day blocks | Day rate = hourly × 8 |
| Per project | Scope is clear | Estimate hours × rate, then add 20% for changes |
| Monthly retainer | Ongoing work | Fix hours a month and the rate for extra hours |
Compare a full-time offer with your freelance income using the Hourly to Salary Calculator and the CTC to In-Hand Salary Calculator. Applying for jobs? Make a resume in 10 minutes with the Resume Builder.
Enough to cover your take-home goal, business costs, fees and tax, divided by billable hours. For ₹60,000 a month take-home with ₹5,000 costs at 25 billable hours a week, it is about ₹680 an hour.
Add your yearly take-home goal, costs, fees and tax, then divide by billable hours a year. Billable hours are usually 1,000-1,400, not 2,000.
Many freelancers use the presumptive scheme, where 50% of receipts is treated as income, up to ₹50 lakh (₹75 lakh with 95% banking receipts). Under the new regime, income up to ₹12 lakh has nil tax after the rebate.
Yes, once receipts cross ₹20 lakh a year (₹10 lakh in special category states). Export services to foreign clients can be zero-rated under an LUT.
Usually your hourly rate × 8. Some freelancers give a small discount for full-day bookings.
Yes, quote in dollars. The tool shows the dollar rate at your chosen exchange rate. Your bank or payment app may convert at a lower rate.
No. The tax figure is an estimate under the new regime for FY 2026-27. Ask a CA for your own case.