💼 Freelance Project Pricing Calculator

The most common freelance pricing mistake is stopping at quote = hourly rate × estimated hours. Real projects almost always include revision requests, extra communication, and surprises, so this calculator adds two layers. ① Revision/risk buffer: multiplies estimated hours by a cushion (typically 15–30%). ② Margin: covers business overhead — equipment, software, insurance, unbilled gaps between projects — plus profit (typically 10–30%). For example, at $50/hour for a 40-hour project, base labor is $2,000; a 20% buffer brings it to $2,400; a 15% margin makes the final quote $2,760. That looks 38% above base, but once two revision rounds and extra meetings land, this is what actually preserves your intended hourly rate.

Some freelancers think in take-home terms: "I want to net a specific amount." Withholding rules vary by country — in Korea, payers withhold 3.3% (3% income tax + 0.3% local tax) from individual freelance business income, so a ₩2,760,000 quote pays out ₩2,668,920; in the US there is typically no withholding on 1099 income but you owe quarterly estimated taxes including self-employment tax. Two things matter regardless of country: withholding is a prepayment, not your final tax — it reconciles at annual filing — and quotes should be set in gross terms with your local withholding treated as a cash-flow reference. To reverse a target net amount into a gross quote under a flat assumed rate, use the Gross-up Calculator alongside this tool.