Freelance pricing
What should you actually charge?
Most freelancers price off a salary they half-remember. This works backwards from the take-home you want, your real costs, tax and the hours you can genuinely bill — then shows the same rate in the currency your client pays in.
Your numbers
Everything is yearly unless it says otherwise. Nothing is sent anywhere.
After tax, in your pocket.
Software, hardware, coworking, insurance.
Your effective rate, not the top bracket.
Everything, billable or not.
52 minus holiday and sick days.
Admin, pitching, invoicing, learning.
For late payers and quiet months.
Charge this
$73 / hour
Day rate
$588
Week
$2,057
Monthly retainer
$7,883
Sensible assumptions. Quote this rate with confidence and hold it.
- Billable hours a year
- 1,288
- Revenue you need to invoice
- $94,600
- That's per month
- $7,883
- Utilisation
- 70%
The same rate abroad
What to quote a client who pays in another currency, at today's mid-market rate.
EUR / hour
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GBP / hour
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AUD / hour
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CAD / hour
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INR / hour
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Price a whole project
Your rate applied to the jobs freelancers quote most.
- Half-day workshop · 4h$294
- One-page website · 12h$881
- Brand identity · 40h$2,938
- Two-week sprint · 60h$4,407
- Monthly retainer (20h) · 20h$1,469
Rate card & saved scenarios
Compare a conservative, target and stretch rate, then export a branded PDF rate card to send with your proposals.
Get paid faster
Cross-border payments lose most freelancers 3–5% to hidden FX margins. These are the services we see used most. Links are affiliate slots — they never change what you pay.
Best for low-cost currency conversion
Multi-currency account with local bank details in USD, EUR, GBP, AUD and more. Converts at the mid-market rate instead of a marked-up bank rate.
- Mid-market FX rate
- Local receiving accounts
- Transparent flat fee
Best for marketplace and agency payouts
Widely supported by Upwork, Fiverr and large agencies. Receive in multiple currencies and withdraw to your local bank.
- Marketplace integrations
- Global receiving accounts
- Physical/virtual card
Best for contracts and compliance
Contractor agreements, invoicing and compliant payouts in 150+ countries — useful when a client wants a formal contract.
- Compliant contracts
- 150+ countries
- Automated invoicing
Sponsored links · we may earn a commission · no tracking pixels
Free: the Freelancer Currency Cheatsheet (PDF)
Rate wording that gets accepted, the top 50 currency pairs, and the FX fees to watch for.
Rate questions, answered
How do I calculate my freelance hourly rate?
Start from the take-home pay you want for the year, add your business costs, divide by one minus your effective tax rate, then divide by the hours you can actually bill. Billable hours are far fewer than hours worked — most freelancers bill 60 to 70 percent of their time once admin, pitching and invoicing are counted.
How many billable hours are realistic in a year?
At 40 hours a week over 46 working weeks with 30 percent unbillable time, you get about 1,288 billable hours. Quoting off 2,080 hours is the most common reason freelance rates come out too low.
Should I charge the same rate to overseas clients?
Quote the same value, converted at the mid-market rate, and add a small margin for currency swings and transfer costs. Fliptik shows your rate in other currencies using live rates so you can quote without guessing.
Hourly rate or fixed project price?
Price projects when you can estimate the work confidently — you keep the upside of working faster. Use the hourly figure as the floor you check every fixed quote against.
How much should I add for tax?
Use your effective rate including social contributions, not the headline top bracket. If you are unsure, a 25 to 35 percent set-aside is a common starting point for self-employed people, then adjust once you know your local rules.
Next steps
Track what you actually earn
Log invoices and expenses in any currency and see your real monthly net.
Send the invoice
Turn this rate into a clean PDF invoice with a currency conversion note.
How Much Should I Charge a US Client as a Freelancer Abroad?
A practical method for pricing US clients when you live in a lower-cost country: benchmark rates, currency risk, payment fees and the numbers to run before you quote.
Do I Pay Tax on Foreign Freelance Income?
How tax residency, source rules and double-taxation treaties usually work for freelancers earning from clients abroad — plus the records to keep from day one.
The Best Way to Get Paid Internationally as a Freelancer
Bank wires vs Wise vs Payoneer vs Deel vs PayPal: real costs, arrival times and when each option makes sense for cross-border freelance payments.
Freelance Rate Calculator by Country
Work out a defensible hourly and day rate from your target income, local costs, billable hours and the currency you invoice in.