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Tax and salary

Freelancer Hourly Rate Calculator

Work out the hourly rate you need to charge as a freelancer to take home the income you want after business costs, tax and platform fees.

Rules last checked 25 October 2026Every step shown

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PKR
PKR

Internet, electricity backup, software, laptop savings, co-working.

%

For example, Pakistan's final tax on IT export earnings for registered freelancers is a small percentage; check your own.

%

What the marketplace and payment service take from each payment.

hours
%

The rest goes on finding clients, admin and learning. 60% to 75% is typical.

weeks

Charge at least

Rs 3,398 an hour

Per 8-hour day
Rs 27,187
Billing needed a year
Rs 4,377,104
Billable hours a year
1,288

To take home Rs 300,000 a month after costs, tax and fees, charge at least Rs 3,398 an hour across 1,288 billable hours a year.

How it's worked out

  1. What you need a year(Rs 300,000 + Rs 25,000) × 12Rs 3,900,000
  2. Before tax and feesRs 3,900,000 ÷ (99% × 90%)Rs 4,377,104
  3. Billable hours40 h × 70% × 46 weeks1,288
  4. Hourly rateRs 4,377,104 ÷ 1,288 hRs 3,398
  • This is a floor, not a market rate. Experience, niche and client budgets matter more; check what others with your skills charge.

The formula

Rate = (take-home + costs) × 12 ÷ (1 − tax) ÷ (1 − fees) ÷ billable hours a year

Worked example

Rs 300,000 take-home plus Rs 25,000 of costs is Rs 3,900,000 a year. After 1% tax and 10% platform fees, you need to bill Rs 4,377,104. Working 40 hours a week, billing 70%, for 46 weeks gives 1,288 hours, so charge at least Rs 3,398 an hour.

Questions people ask

How do I calculate my freelance hourly rate?

Add your target take-home pay to your business costs for a year, gross it up for tax and platform fees, then divide by the hours you can actually bill.

How many hours can a freelancer bill?

Usually 60% to 75% of working time. The rest goes on finding clients, proposals, admin and learning.

Should I charge exactly this rate?

No: it's the minimum that covers your needs. Charge what your skills and results are worth in your market, which may be far more.

Formula and rules last checked 25 October 2026Written and tested by the CalculatorDex teamReport a problem