Freelance Income Goal Calculator: Reverse Engineer Your Target Rate

Quick Answer

To earn $100,000 take-home as a freelancer at $100/hour, you need 1,000 billable hours per year (about 20 hours/week). Factor in taxes, expenses, and non-billable time to reverse-engineer your target rate from your income goal.

Key Takeaways

Start with take-home: What do you actually need?
Add 40-50% for costs: Taxes, benefits, expenses
Divide by billable hours: Usually 1,000-1,500/year
Round up: Always round up, not down
Verify market fit: Can you get this rate?

Income Goal Formula

Required Hourly Rate = (Take-Home Goal × 1.5) ÷ Billable Hours

Example:
- Take-home goal: $100,000
- Multiplier: 1.5 (covers taxes + expenses)
- Billable hours: 1,200
- Rate: ($100,000 × 1.5) ÷ 1,200 = $125/hour

Billable Hours by Work Style

Work Style	Weekly Hours	Billable %	Annual Hours
Part-time	20	65%	676
Standard	40	65%	1,352
Intensive	50	60%	1,560
Maximum	60	55%	1,716

Rate Required by Income Goal

Take-Home Goal	At 1,000 hrs	At 1,200 hrs	At 1,500 hrs
$50,000	$75/hr	$63/hr	$50/hr
$75,000	$113/hr	$94/hr	$75/hr
$100,000	$150/hr	$125/hr	$100/hr
$150,000	$225/hr	$188/hr	$150/hr
$200,000	$300/hr	$250/hr	$200/hr

FAQ

How do I increase billable hours?

Reduce admin time with tools, hire a VA, improve marketing efficiency.

What if I can’t get the rate I need?

Increase hours, reduce expenses, or pivot to higher-paying services.

Should I work more hours or raise rates?

Raising rates is more scalable. Working more hours hits a ceiling.

Last updated: March 2026