Tools

Hourly Rate Calculator for Australian freelancers

Q: What business expenses should I include when calculating my rate?

Common expenses to factor in include: professional indemnity and public liability insurance, software subscriptions (design tools, accounting, project management), bookkeeping and accounting fees, professional development and training, coworking or home office costs, marketing and website hosting, and superannuation contributions above the mandatory SGC.

Q: How often should I review and increase my hourly rate?

Review your rate at least once a year. Key triggers for a rate increase include: your costs have risen (software, insurance, rent), you have more demand than capacity, you've gained a significant new skill or certification, or inflation has eroded your purchasing power. Existing retainer clients typically receive 30–60 days notice of a rate change.

Turn your income target, expenses, and statutory obligations into a realistic hourly rate in under a minute. Built for contractors, agencies, and consultants balancing project work with retainers.

1 Plug in your annual income goal, preferred availability, and expected expenses.
2 See the baseline hourly rate, super and insurance loadings, plus GST if you're registered.
3 Benchmark yourself against typical freelance rates so you can position with confidence.
4 Unlock advanced templates and pricing tips with our expanded toolkit.

Your recommended rate

Live

Target hourly rate

(incl. GST of 10%)

GST not applied

Weekly working hours
Working weeks per year
Weekly income goal
Weekly expenses allocation
Statutory loadings

Step 1 — Tell us about your goals

We use these fields to calculate how much you need to earn per hour to sustain your business.

Desired annual income (before tax)

Hours you want to work per week

Currently set to .

Weeks of vacation (or non-billable time)

Working weeks left: out of 52.

Business expenses (annual)

Australian-specific loadings

Superannuation contribution (%)

Default set to 11% to match current super guarantee charge.

Insurance & other on-costs (%)

Think professional indemnity, liability, bookkeeping, software.

Registered for GST? We apply 10% GST on top of your base rate and show both figures.

Step 2 — Understand the breakdown

We've split your rate into the pieces that keep your business sustainable.

How we calculate this

1. Annual income and expenses are converted to weekly targets based on working weeks.
2. Super and insurance percentages are applied to the weekly subtotal to cover on-costs.
3. Hours per week divide the final weekly requirement to produce your hourly rate.
4. GST is added on top so you know what to quote clients.

How you stack up

Compare your headline rate to typical benchmarks for Australian freelancers.

Benchmarks are indicative composites based on Australian freelancer and consultant rate data from PayScale, Cemoh, and Indeed. Actual rates vary by industry, experience, and region.

Quick tips

Quote retainers using the GST-inclusive figure so finance teams can compare evenly.
Pair this with minimum engagement sizes (e.g., 10-hour blocks) to protect your schedule.
Review your loadings quarterly—insurance and tools creep faster than you think.

• Anchor proposals around outcomes (ROI, response times) so the conversation shifts from rate to value.

• Offer quarterly or annual retainers with a small premium for month-to-month flexibility.

• If you're below benchmark, frame it as an introductory engagement with a review date.

Unlock the advanced rate toolkit

Drop your email and we'll send the deeper calculator, expense templates, and positioning framework used by top Australian agencies.

Expense template (Google Sheets + CSV) with pre-filled categories.
Rate positioning guide with scripts for premium and value-based pricing.
Client email templates for rate increases and scope resets.

First name (optional)

Primary focus

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Related tool

Project Profitability Calculator

Once you've set your rate, check whether your projects and retainers are actually profitable — factor in hours spent, overhead, and external costs.

Try it free

Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know about calculating your hourly rate in Australia.

Add up your desired annual income and annual business expenses, then divide by your billable hours per year (working weeks × hours per week). Apply your superannuation percentage (currently 11% SGC) and any insurance on-costs, then add 10% GST if registered. The formula is: Hourly Rate = (Annual Income + Expenses) × (1 + Loadings%) ÷ Billable Hours. Use the calculator above to do this automatically.

Based on Australian market data, entry-level freelancers typically charge around $110/hr, established consultants around $160/hr, and specialist agency contractors $210/hr or more. Rates vary significantly by industry, experience, and location. A rate is "good" if it covers your actual costs and leaves margin for growth — use the benchmarks in the calculator to see where you sit.

If your annual turnover exceeds $75,000 you must register for GST and charge an extra 10% on your invoices. Quote clients the GST-inclusive rate so there are no surprises, and always separate the GST component on your invoices so clients can claim it back as an input tax credit.

Most freelancers bill 60–70% of the hours they work — the rest goes to admin, business development, professional development, and unpaid communication. If you work 40 hours a week for 48 weeks, expect around 1,100–1,400 truly billable hours. Set your working hours and vacation weeks in the calculator to reflect your real availability.

Many consultants offer retainer clients a modest discount (5–15%) in exchange for guaranteed monthly income and lower sales overhead. However, your base rate should always cover your costs — use this calculator to establish your floor rate, then decide how much flexibility you have for long-term clients.

Common expenses to include: professional indemnity and public liability insurance, software subscriptions (design tools, accounting, project management), bookkeeping and accounting fees, professional development and training, coworking or home office costs, marketing and website hosting, and superannuation contributions above the mandatory SGC.

Review your rate at least once a year. Key triggers for an increase: your costs have risen, you have more demand than capacity, you've gained a significant new skill or certification, or inflation has eroded your purchasing power. Give existing retainer clients 30–60 days notice of a rate change.