Why Your Freelance Rate Is Too Low (and How to Fix It)
Most new freelancers set rates by dividing a salary by 2,080 hours. That ignores everything that is not billable.
The common mistake
A full-time year is 2,080 hours (40 hours x 52 weeks), but a freelancer is paid only for billable hours. Sales calls, proposals, invoicing, learning and gaps between projects are unpaid.
What to include
Add business expenses, taxes, unpaid time off, and a realistic billable-hours figure of your own. Many freelancers land between 20 and 30 billable hours a week.
Fix it in two minutes
Run your numbers in the hourly rate calculator. Treat the result as a floor and price above it based on demand and specialty.