How It Works Under the Hood
Solves Required Gross Billing = (Desired Net Income + Annual Overhead) / (1 - Tax Reserve %), then divides by true billable hours after subtracting vacation weeks and non-billable admin/sales time.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Set your desired net take-home income, annual SaaS/insurance expenses, and Tax Reserve %.
Adjust weeks off, work hours/week, and billable utilization ratio (typically 60–75%).
Use the computed Hourly/Day rate and Scope Buffer % to price project proposals and copy the breakdown.
Key Features & Performance
- Reverse Goal Pricing: Guarantees you actually hit net income goals after taxes and unbillable hours
- Per-Invoice Tax Vault Readout: Shows exact dollars to move to a separate tax account on every quote
- Scope Creep Buffer: Built-in fixed-project cushion prevents undercharging revisions
- 1-Click Rate Sheet Copy: Save or paste calculations cleanly into notes
Local Browser Processing & Privacy
Traditional web converters upload your documents, snippets, or media files to remote servers. Freelance Project Rate & Tax Reserve Calculator runs inside your browser tab:
Your input text and files are processed locally without uploading payloads to a processing server.
Microdeck does not log or store the files or inputs you paste into tool workspaces (normal static hosting/CDN requests still load page assets).
Working outputs stay in your browser tab and are released when you reset the tool or close the tab.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why assume only 60–70% billable utilization?
Independent freelancers spend 25–40% of their workweek on proposals, client calls, accounting, marketing, and learning — unbilled hours that your billable rate must cover.
How does this differ from the Hourly to W2 Salary Calculator?
That tool converts a given hourly rate to W2 vs 1099 equivalent. This tool solves the reverse problem: given your financial goals and expenses, what hourly/project price must you quote clients?
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