Set a day rate that actually pays you what you need.

Work backwards from what you need to earn, not forwards from an hourly wage. Add the take-home income you want to your annual business costs and the tax you'll owe to get the total revenue you must bill. Then divide by the number of days you can realistically bill in a year — which is far fewer than 365 once you subtract weekends, holidays, sick days, admin, marketing, and gaps between clients. That division gives a day rate that actually funds your target, rather than one that quietly leaves you short once costs and downtime are counted.

Because a salaried figure hides everything an employer normally covers. As a freelancer you pay your own costs, tools, insurance, and both sides of tax, you get no paid holiday or sick leave, and a large share of your calendar is non-billable — spent finding work, doing admin, and between contracts. A day rate has to absorb all of that from a smaller number of billable days, which is why a rate that sounds high compared to a daily salary can still leave you earning less than an employee. The planner makes those hidden factors explicit.

A ready-to-use spreadsheet (Excel & Google Sheets): your required day rate from take-home target, costs, and billable days, with utilisation and rate scenarios — delivered instantly after checkout. AI-assisted, human-built; not financial advice.