{"id":807,"date":"2024-10-21T15:36:18","date_gmt":"2024-10-21T15:36:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/knowledge\/articles\/setting-a-freelance-hourly-rate-what-hourly-rate-should-i-charge\/"},"modified":"2025-05-22T13:05:02","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T13:05:02","slug":"setting-a-freelance-hourly-rate-what-hourly-rate-should-i-charge","status":"publish","type":"knowledge","link":"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/knowledge\/freelance\/setting-a-freelance-hourly-rate-what-hourly-rate-should-i-charge\/","title":{"rendered":"How to set a freelance hourly rate: what hourly rate should I charge?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Having taken the leap into freelancing, you\u2019ll soon come up against one of the biggest questions you\u2019ll face: \u2018what hourly rate should I charge?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Few people enjoy having conversations about money, but it\u2019s important that you\u2019re prepared to talk about prices up front. One simple conversation can make the difference between a productive, profitable project, and one on which you could even lose money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So how do you work out your freelance hourly rate \u2013 and is an hourly rate really the best way to go? Keep reading to find out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"howdoistartsettingafreelancehourlyrate\">How do I set a freelance hourly rate?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Working out what to charge clients can be a difficult task for both new and experienced freelancers. You want a competitive price to attract clients, but you also value the work you do and want to be paid fairly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">New freelancers often underprice themselves in order to build a client base but this isn\u2019t always a good thing. People may judge your business based on your pricing: if your rates are too low, potential clients will begin to wonder why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With that in mind, it\u2019s important to set a realistic hourly rate that\u2019s fair for both you and your clients. When working out your freelance hourly rate, it can be helpful to start with a target \u2018salary\u2019 in mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From there you\u2019ll need to work out the costs associated with running your business, which can include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">capital expenditure<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">rent<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">utilities<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">travel<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">taxes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">programmes and software<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">marketing costs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your target salary will need to reflect the costs of the above \u2013 though you\u2019ll be able to <a href=\"\/knowledge\/self-assessment\/self-employed-expenses\/\" data-type=\"knowledge\" data-id=\"1511\" >claim expenses<\/a> on some of these.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"nba-body-001\">\n<\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some other things to consider include what your competitors charge and the demand for your industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-azure-300-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-69910985 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-radius:10px;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--90);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--90)\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-hourly-rate-calculator\">Hourly rate calculator<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once you\u2019ve considered the above factors, use this formula to help work out your hourly rate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">Choose a target annual income (before taxes and expenses)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">Decide how many weeks you\u2019ll work (accounting for unpaid time off for holidays)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">Decide how many hours of billable work you\u2019ll do each week<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">Check this against your competitors<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, you\u2019re a freelance graphic designer with a target annual income of \u00a335,000. You estimate you\u2019ll work 48 weeks a year, which gives you four weeks of unpaid leave. Within your working weeks, you imagine you\u2019ll complete 32 hours of billable work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">32 hours (hours worked each week) for 48 weeks (weeks worked in a year) is 1,536 hours worked<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">\u00a335,000 (target annual income) divided by 1,536 hours is \u00a322.79<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This means your hourly rate should be set at \u00a322.79. To make sure this is a viable rate, you\u2019d then check this against what your competitors are charging \u2013 which in this instance would be graphic designers with a similar level of experience.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-billable-vs-non-billable-work\">Billable vs non-billable work<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a freelancer, your time will be split between billable and non-billable work. Billable work is the work you\u2019re paid to do by clients. For example, designing a logo or attending client meetings to discuss a project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Non-billable work is still work \u2013 but it isn\u2019t directly related to the work you do for clients. This could include <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/knowledge\/business-tax\/what-is-bookkeeping\/\" data-type=\"knowledge\" data-id=\"1259\" >bookkeeping<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/knowledge\/cash-flow\/how-to-write-an-invoice\/\" data-type=\"knowledge\" data-id=\"1461\" >invoicing<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/knowledge\/marketing\/how-to-advertise-your-business\/\" data-type=\"knowledge\" data-id=\"1410\" >marketing your business<\/a>. Non-billable work is crucial to your business, which is why it\u2019s important to make time for it in your work week \u2013 even if you\u2019re not getting paid for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns has-azure-200-background-color has-background is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex has-2-columns\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:40%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-rounded\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1000\" src=\"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/08\/Artboard-2@2x.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24677\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1;object-fit:cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/08\/Artboard-2@2x.png 1000w, https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/08\/Artboard-2@2x.png?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/08\/Artboard-2@2x.png?resize=800,800 800w, https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/08\/Artboard-2@2x.png?resize=768,768 768w, https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/08\/Artboard-2@2x.png?resize=96,96 96w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;flex-basis:66.67%\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou have to make your prices what you feel that you&#8217;re worth and they should represent what you can actually do. I think a lot of self-employed people, even established ones, are worried about putting their prices up. But when all your expenses are going up, you&#8217;re working for less money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Richard Burle<br><\/strong>Owner of Richard\u2019s Garden Services<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"shouldipricebythehourorbytheproject\">Should I price by the hour or by the project?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hourly rates aren\u2019t the only way you can price yourself. If you\u2019re taking on a larger project, it could be more beneficial to set a daily rate instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, imagine you\u2019re a web designer. A client approaches you and asks for a simple website build. You estimate that it\u2019s roughly four days of work. Setting a day rate rather than an hourly rate could mean:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">it\u2019s easier to track billing and invoices<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">a predictable income for the week, agreed ahead of time<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">more time to focus on the work and less on invoicing or tracking your time<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, there\u2019s also the possibility of underpayment \u2013 perhaps the project turns out to be harder than you initially thought, or you need to stay late for client meetings. This could mean it works out less per hour than your usual hourly rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When making the decision of how to price your jobs, you should conduct some market research. See what your competitors are doing and price yourself accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"whataboutfreelanceconsultingrates\">What about freelance consulting rates?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s common for people to move from full-time employment into self-employment in a consulting role. Here you&#8217;re at an advantage, because you may well already have some knowledge of comparable rates in your field. However, it\u2019s important that you still do your research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If possible, speak to some hiring professionals to find out the sorts of rates they might expect. You should also expect to work to clients\u2019 budgets \u2013 while you shouldn\u2019t underprice yourself just to secure work, you should try wherever possible to get a handle on client budget first and price accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beyond this, the same rules apply: get comfortable talking about rates, and make sure that you price not just competitively but also fairly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-azure-200-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-30c80bf8 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-radius:35px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--90);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--90);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--90);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--90);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--90);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--90)\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-when-can-i-raise-my-freelance-rate\">When can I raise my freelance rate?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally, it\u2019s vital that you review your rates regularly. If you stick rigidly to the same rates for years on end, it won\u2019t be long before you start to lose out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are some circumstances in which you might consider raising your rate. First, you should do so if it\u2019s a \u2018rush job\u2019, meaning that the client is on a tight deadline and you\u2019d be completing the work in a tighter timeframe than you\u2019d like. You should also raise your rates if you\u2019re at capacity and can\u2019t take on any more work, as your time is now at a premium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And don\u2019t forget that you should conduct annual rate reviews with all of your clients. The experience that you\u2019ve gained in that past year should be reflected in higher pricing and, with some canny <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/knowledge\/management\/how-to-handle-difficult-conversations\/\" data-type=\"knowledge\" data-id=\"1197\" >negotiating skills<\/a>, you\u2019ll be able to persuade your clients of your value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Read more about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/knowledge\/marketing\/5-ways-to-tell-your-customers-about-a-price-increase\/\" data-type=\"knowledge\" data-id=\"1147\" >how to tell your customers about a price increase<\/a> in our dedicated guide.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Any tips on setting your prices as a freelancer? Share them in the comments below to help someone out.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/knowledge\/starting-out\/small-business-ideas\/\" data-type=\"knowledge\" data-id=\"24127\" >Small business ideas \u2013 best businesses to start yourself<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/knowledge\/banking\/best-small-business-bank-account\/\" data-type=\"knowledge\" data-id=\"1332\" >Best small business bank account \u2013 your options explained<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/knowledge\/starting-out\/how-to-register-a-business-name-uk\/\" data-type=\"knowledge\" data-id=\"1129\" >How to register a business name \u2013 and how to protect it<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/business-insurance\/faq\/what-is-business-insurance\/\">What is business insurance?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-azure-200-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-94e519ba wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--80);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--80);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"lookingforfreelancerinsurance\">Looking for freelancer insurance?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">As the UK&#8217;s biggest <a href=\"\/business-insurance\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"5152\" >business insurance<\/a> provider, we protect the self-employed workers who&#8217;re building Britain. Why not take a look now and build a quick, tailored <a href=\"\/business-insurance\/freelancers-insurance\/\">freelancers insurance quote<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-a89b3969 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/quote.simplybusiness.co.uk\/business\">Start your quote<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n<div id=\"nba-body-end\">\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How to strike the balance between getting paid a fair price and attracting clients.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":26267,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"sb_hreflang":"","sb_hreflang_url":"","disable_breadcrumbs":false,"sb_breadcrumbs":[],"sb_reviewed_by":"","sb_review_date":"","sb_enable_content_gating":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[336,335,111,110],"hidden-category":[],"coauthors":[24],"class_list":["post-807","knowledge","type-knowledge","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-structure","category-freelance","category-marketing","category-business-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How do you work out your hourly rate as a freelancer?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How do you work out your hourly rate as a freelancer? Use our guide as an hourly rate calculator to make sure you\u2019re charging the right price for your work.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/knowledge\/freelance\/setting-a-freelance-hourly-rate-what-hourly-rate-should-i-charge\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How do you work out your hourly rate as a freelancer?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How to strike the balance between getting paid a fair price and attracting clients.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/knowledge\/freelance\/setting-a-freelance-hourly-rate-what-hourly-rate-should-i-charge\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Simply Business UK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/simplybusiness\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-22T13:05:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/06\/header_c67daa.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"How to set a freelance hourly rate: what hourly rate should I charge?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@simplybusiness\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"Rosanna Parrish\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/knowledge\/freelance\/setting-a-freelance-hourly-rate-what-hourly-rate-should-i-charge\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/knowledge\/freelance\/setting-a-freelance-hourly-rate-what-hourly-rate-should-i-charge\/\"},\"author\":{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Rosanna Parrish\",\"description\":\"Rosanna Parrish is a Copywriter at Simply Business specialising in side hustles \u2013 as well as all things freelance, social media, and ecommerce. 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