Project quote from scope & hours. The Freelance Project Rate Calculator takes estimated hours, your hourly rate, contingency for scope changes, direct expenses (stock, software, travel) and returns project quote plus effective hourly rate if the buffer is used, labour portion. Results update as you type, and the formula is shown under the result so you can repeat it in your own spreadsheet.
For freelancers and agencies the scarce resource is billable time. Pricing has to cover unpaid hours, tools, taxes and time off, not just the hours a client sees on an invoice. Use the worked example below to check the maths against your own figures.
How the Freelance Project Rate Calculator works
A fixed-price quote should price the hours you expect plus a buffer for the changes that always come, plus any costs you pay on the client's behalf. Without the buffer every scope change comes out of your margin.
Worked example
With the example values (estimated hours of 40 hours, your hourly rate of $60, contingency for scope changes of 20%, direct expenses (stock, software, travel) of $200), the project quote is $3,080.00; effective hourly rate if the buffer is used $60.00, labour portion $2,880.00. Change any figure above and the result updates immediately; use Copy results to paste the summary into a note or email.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How is project quote calculated?
quote = hours × rate × (1 + contingency) + expenses.
Which figures do I need?
Estimated hours, your hourly rate, contingency for scope changes, direct expenses (stock, software, travel). Take them from the same period and the same set of accounts or reports so the ratio is consistent, and check the example values as a guide to the units expected.
How do I choose the target income or margin?
Start from what you need to earn after tax and expenses, add a margin for unpaid time (sales, admin, holidays, slow months) and check the resulting rate against what your market pays.
