This free calculator helps you set a price for your first freelance project and estimate how many paying clients you need each month to cover your target income. It is built for solo engineers and freelancers who are planning their move out of employment and want to check the numbers before they commit.
Free version: it runs in your browser — nothing you type leaves your device.
How to use the free calculator
- Enter the monthly income you want to replace from your job.
- Add your monthly business costs, such as software, insurance and taxes set aside.
- Enter the billable hours you can realistically work per month and your target hourly rate.
- Read the suggested price for a 20-hour project and the number of clients you need each month.
- Copy or print the result so you can review the plan before leaving employment.
How the calculation works
The calculator starts from the money you need each month. It adds your target monthly income to your monthly business costs to get the monthly revenue you must bring in. Then it multiplies your billable hours by your target hourly rate to show what you can bill at that rate. Comparing the two tells you whether your rate and hours cover your needs, and dividing the revenue you need by the price of a typical project gives the number of clients required each month.
The suggested project price is simply your target hourly rate multiplied by 20 hours, the project length used in the example. If your billable capacity falls short of the revenue you need, the tool tells you to raise your rate, add billable hours or lower your target income. Every figure is an estimate based on the values you type in, so treat the output as a planning starting point rather than a fixed answer.
A worked example: you want to replace 4,000 dollars a month and your business costs are 600 dollars, so you need 4,600 dollars in revenue. If you can bill 100 hours a month at 50 dollars an hour, you can bill 5,000 dollars, which covers the target. A 20-hour project would be priced near 1,000 dollars, and you would need about five such projects a month.
Common mistakes include forgetting taxes and software subscriptions in business costs, counting every working hour as billable when admin and sales take time, and setting a rate from what competitors charge instead of from the income you actually need. Another frequent error is pricing a project without checking whether the hours it takes fit your monthly capacity.
Frequently asked questions
How do I price my first freelance project?
Start from the monthly income you need to replace, add your business costs, and divide by the hours you can realistically bill. That gives a floor for your hourly rate, which you multiply by the estimated hours of the project to get a price.
How many clients do I need each month?
The calculator divides the monthly revenue you need by the suggested price of a typical project. The result is an estimate of how many paying clients you need each month at that price.
Should I include taxes in my business costs?
Yes. Setting aside an amount for taxes each month keeps your revenue target realistic. The tool does not calculate taxes for you, so enter your own estimate in the business costs field.
Is this calculator free?
Yes, the calculator on this page is free to use and works in any browser. The paid planner adds an offline tool, spreadsheet templates and a client pipeline tracker.
Is the result financial advice?
No. It is an educational planning tool and the figures are estimates based on the values you enter. Use them as a starting point for your own planning.
Free educational tool made with the help of AI and tested automatically on desktop and mobile. Results are estimates. Not financial advice.
