Day Rate Calculator (UK)
Most freelancers undercharge because they price a day like employees price a salary. Convert your target annual income into the day rate you should actually charge — accounting for holidays, unbillable time, business costs, and a safety margin. Free, no sign-up.
Software, insurance, accountancy, equipment, travel, training.
Buffer for late payments, quiet months, and scope creep.
Most freelancers bill 3-4 days a week once sales, admin, and gaps between projects are counted.
You should charge at least
£389 / day
- Billable days per year
- 184
- Equivalent hourly rate (7.5h day)
- £52
- Covers income + costs of
- £65,000
Figures are before income tax and National Insurance. This is a pricing guide, not financial advice.
Earn more from the days you already bill
Raising your rate is one lever — the other is cutting unbillable hours. A free AI audit shows freelancers and small teams which admin can run itself.
Free 15 minutes · No pitch, no pressure · UK-based
Why day rates go wrong
The classic mistake is dividing a target salary by 260 working days. Employees get paid for 260 days but freelancers don't bill 260 days — once you remove holidays, bank holidays, sick days, sales calls, admin, and the gaps between projects, most independent professionals bill 3-4 days a week at best. Price for the days you'll actually invoice, not the days you'll work.
The calculator also adds your business costs (software, insurance, accountancy, kit) and a safety margin for late payers and quiet months — because a rate that only works in a perfect year isn't a rate, it's a gamble.
Both directions covered
Use Income → day rate when you're setting or reviewing your price, and Day rate → annual to sanity-check what a quoted rate really amounts to over a year. And since unbillable admin is the silent killer of freelance income, see what you could hand off with the AI ROI calculator — or price your client meetings with the meeting cost calculator.
Frequently asked questions
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