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Freelance rate calculator for India

Enter your expenses, desired take-home, tax rate, and billable hours. Get your minimum and recommended hourly rate instantly.

Software, internet, coworking, equipment EMI
What you want to pay yourself
Effective rate, e.g. under 44ADA
Hours you actually bill, not hours worked
Cushion for slow months and non-billable work
How this is calculated
1
Add your monthly need
Business expenses plus the take-home pay you want.
2
Gross up for tax
So the number you bill covers what you actually keep.
3
Divide by billable hours
Only hours you can actually invoice, not hours worked.
Nothing is saved unless you choose to create an account.
This calculator covers
Monthly expenses and take-home
Effective tax rate
Real billable hours
Profit margin buffer
Minimum vs recommended rate

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate my freelance hourly rate in India?

Add your monthly business expenses and desired take-home pay, then gross that up for tax and divide by your actual billable hours per month, not total hours worked. This calculator does that math for you and adds a margin on top for slow months and non-billable work like proposals and admin.

What is the difference between billable hours and hours worked?

Billable hours are only the hours you can invoice a client for. Hours worked also includes proposals, client calls that are not billed, admin, and learning. Most freelancers can bill 100 to 130 hours in a month even when they work far more than that, so using total hours worked in a rate calculation understates what you need to charge per billable hour.

Why is the recommended rate higher than the minimum rate?

The minimum rate only covers your stated expenses and take-home pay with no room for error. The recommended rate adds your chosen margin on top, so a slow month, a client who pays late, or a project that runs over on non-billable admin does not immediately put you below what you actually need.

Should I use my old salary to figure out my freelance rate?

No. A salaried number does not account for tax you now pay yourself, business expenses your employer used to cover, or the fact that you cannot bill 100% of your working hours as a freelancer. Calculate from your actual current expenses and billable capacity instead of anchoring to a past salary.

Does this rate calculator account for Indian tax under Section 44ADA?

Yes, the tax rate field lets you enter your effective rate, which for most freelancers filing under Section 44ADA is lower than their slab rate since only 50% of gross receipts is treated as taxable profit. Enter your actual effective rate for the most accurate result.