Know your minimum rate
Monthly Expenses
Total monthly expenses: $0
Income Goal
Desired monthly take-home (after tax)
$
This is your profit, not your revenue
Tax
Estimated tax rate
%
Include income tax + self-employment contributions
Availability
Billable hours per week
Exclude proposals, admin, sick days. Typically 60–70% of total hours.
Weeks working per year
52 minus holidays, sick days, downtime
Billable hours/year:
Your Rates
Minimum Hourly Rate
Floor rate. Below this you're losing money.
Standard Day Rate (8h)
Your quoted day rate. Hourly × 8.
Project Rate
Day rate × estimated days + 20% scope buffer.
Est. project
days
Monthly Retainer
Standard day rate × retainer days/month.
Retainer
days/month
✦ AI Rate Strategist
Break-even Summary
Revenue / year
Revenue / month
Projects / year
Days / month
Revenue Breakdown
Expenses
Tax
Take-home
What If…
+/- Hours per week
current
+/- Income goal
current