How much should you charge as a freelancer? I built a calculator to find out

Pricing is the thing every freelancer gets wrong at the start. I did. I charged too little because I was scared of losing clients. So I built a day rate calculator that works backwards from what you actually need to earn. How it works You enter: Target annual income (after tax) Working days per year (deduct holidays, sick days, admin days) Tax rate (it estimates UK tax automatically) Business expenses (software, insurance, travel, etc.) Profit margin (the buffer that keeps you alive between contracts) It gives you: Minimum day rate to hit your target Hourly rate (based on working hours per day) Tax breakdown Monthly take-home The maths most freelancers get wrong "I want to earn £50k, there are 260 working days, so I'll charge £192/day." Wrong. You won't work 260 days. After holidays (25), sick days (5), admin/business development (30), and gaps between contracts (20), you're looking at 180 billable days. £50k ÷ 180 = £278/day minimum. Before tax and expenses. Once you add employer NI e