RATEFLOOR
Find the floor rate below which you're working at a loss — defaults set for California

Your numbers

Default reflects California's higher cost of living — adjust to your own target
15.3% federal self-employment tax + roughly 7-8% blended California state income tax for typical freelance income levels ($50k-150k). High earners in CA can see a combined effective rate well above this.
Higher default for California — individual health insurance alone often runs $6,000-8,400/year here, on top of software, equipment, and retirement contributions
The share of your working time a client actually pays for (usually 60-80%, not 100%)
Accounting for vacation, sick days, and downtime between projects
Your floor rate
$97/hr
"Income ÷ hours" rate (the usual way)
$34/hr
Your real floor rate
$97/hr
Target income$70,000
+ Self-employment tax$10,710
+ Business overhead$6,000
= Total you need to earn$86,710
÷ Billable hours per year1,248
Want to save this calculation and export a client-ready PDF quote? That's part of RATEFLOOR PRO.

Project price estimator

Minimum project price
$1,940

Market comparison — California (illustrative)

This is RATEFLOOR's free basic calculation — it runs entirely in your browser and never saves or sends your inputs anywhere. Defaults (income, tax rate, overhead, and profession benchmarks) are pre-set for a California-based freelancer; adjust any field for your own numbers or a different state. Profession benchmarks are illustrative reference points reflecting California's higher cost-of-living market, not precise figures for your specific city or region. The paid plan adds saved calculations, client-facing PDF quotes, and more precise benchmarks by niche and metro area.