Free Tool
Freelance Project Pricing Calculator
Hourly rates do not answer the question clients actually ask: what will this project cost, in total? Fixed-price quoting needs its own maths — scope, revisions, a buffer for the unknown, and the platform fee grossed up on top.
Planning estimate, not financial advice. Quotes are planning estimates. A fixed price is a business decision, not just a calculation — scope changes and late payments still need a contract. All figures on this page are estimates or scenarios for planning purposes only. They are not financial, tax or legal advice, and no earnings are promised. Read the full financial disclaimer.
What this tool does
This calculator has two modes. "Build a quote" starts from your estimate of the hours, your hourly rate, a risk and revision buffer, any direct project costs (software, subcontractors, stock assets), and the platform fee. It returns a quote that covers all of them, shows the platform fee amount, the profit left after the fee and costs, and the effective hourly rate the quote really pays you.
"Check a client quote" runs the other way: a client offers a fixed price, and you want to know what it is really worth per hour. Enter the offered price, your estimated hours, the platform fee and any direct costs, and the calculator shows the net amount after the fee and the effective hourly rate — the number to compare against the rate your costs demand.
The two modes exist because fixed-price work fails in two directions: quoting too low and working for less than your rate, and accepting a "generous" fixed price that turns out to pay less per hour than your normal rate once the fee and the extra hours are counted.
Try it
Waiting. Enter your numbers and press Calculate. Profit is shown after the platform fee and direct costs — not before them.
How it works
Build-a-quote works in four steps. Base cost: estimated hours multiplied by your hourly rate. Buffered cost: base cost multiplied by (1 plus the buffer percentage) — the buffer pays for revisions, scope creep and the things you did not foresee. Subtotal: buffered cost plus direct project costs. Quote: subtotal divided by (1 minus the platform fee as a decimal), which grosses the price up so the fee comes out of the client's payment, not out of your pay. The platform fee amount is the quote times the fee percentage. Profit after fee and costs is the quote minus the fee minus the base cost minus direct costs — which, by construction, equals the buffer amount. Effective hourly rate is the amount left after fee and costs, divided by the hours.
Check-a-quote is simpler: net after fee equals the offered price times (1 minus the fee), minus direct costs. Effective hourly rate is that net amount divided by the hours. Compare the effective rate with the minimum rate from the hourly rate calculator: if the effective rate is below your floor, the fixed price loses money even if the headline number looks generous.
Assumptions and limitations
A quote is only as good as the hours estimate behind it. If the work takes twice as long as estimated, the effective hourly rate halves — no buffer fixes a badly underestimated scope. The calculator does not model tax, late payment, refunds, or the cost of fixing work after delivery. A buffer of 100% or more is rejected with a warning: beyond that point you are no longer pricing a project, you are guessing, and the honest move is to re-scope or switch to hourly billing.
- Hours are an estimate. Track your real hours on fixed-price work and compare them with the estimate — that comparison is what makes the next quote accurate.
- The buffer covers ordinary surprises, not a client doubling the scope. Big scope changes need a new quote, stated in the contract.
- Platform fee of 100% cannot be grossed up and is rejected.
- Profit here is project profit before tax and before your unpaid admin time on the project.
Worked example
Example (illustrative inputs, not a real project). A project is estimated at 20 hours at $40 an hour, with a 15% buffer, $50 of direct costs, and a 10% platform fee. Base: 20 × $40 = $800. Buffered: $800 × 1.15 = $920. Subtotal with costs: $920 + $50 = $970. Quote: $970 ÷ (1 − 0.10) = $1,077.78. Platform fee: $107.78. Profit after fee and costs: $1,077.78 − $107.78 − $800 − $50 = $120.00 (the buffer). Effective hourly rate: $920 ÷ 20 = $46.00 an hour. If instead a client offered a flat $1,000 for the same 20 hours, the check mode gives a net of $1,000 × 0.90 − $50 = $850, or $42.50 an hour — above the $40 rate, but below the $46 the buffered quote pays.
Frequently asked questions
How is fixed-price quoting different from hourly pricing?
Hourly pricing charges for time; fixed pricing charges for an outcome. A fixed quote must absorb the risk that the work takes longer than estimated, plus revisions and scope questions — that is what the buffer is for. Hourly pricing puts that risk on the client; fixed pricing puts it on you, so the price must pay for it.
What buffer percentage should I use?
It depends on how well the scope is defined. A tightly specified repeat job might need 5–10%; a loosely described first project with a new client often needs 15–25%. If you keep finishing projects over budget, your buffer is too small — or your hours estimate is too optimistic. Track real hours and adjust.
Why divide by (1 minus the fee) instead of adding the fee on top?
Because the platform takes its percentage from the invoice total. If you add 10% to a $1,000 quote, the invoice is $1,100 and the platform takes $110, leaving $990 — $10 short. Dividing $1,000 by 0.90 gives $1,111.11, from which a 10% fee leaves exactly $1,000.
What counts as a direct project cost?
Money you spend only because this project exists: a stock photo licence, a subcontractor's fee, a tool subscription bought for this job. Your general business expenses (internet, laptop, software you use for every job) belong in your hourly rate, not in a single project's quote.
When should I refuse a fixed price and charge hourly instead?
When the scope cannot be pinned down — research, open-ended design, 'make it better' briefs, or work that depends on a third party. If you cannot estimate the hours within a reasonable range, a fixed price is a gamble, and the buffer that would cover the gamble usually prices you out of the job anyway.
Does the profit shown include tax?
No. Profit here is the amount left after the platform fee and direct costs, before tax. Set tax aside separately — the tax planner on this site shows how to estimate the set-aside.