Estimate your billable hours before you set the rate.
Use your weekly hours, vacation time, and billable ratio to calculate real client capacity, then turn that number into hourly, day, and project pricing anchors.
Built for freelancers who want pricing based on real capacity, not ideal-calendar assumptions.
Billable Hours Calculator
Switch between forward-looking capacity planning and billable revenue review without leaving the page.
Most solo freelancers land somewhere around 0.5 to 0.7 after admin, sales, and delivery overhead.
Capacity Results
Annual Billable Hours
1190h
Billable Hours / Week
24.8h
Non-Billable Hours / Week
15.2h
Annual Billable Revenue
$142,848.00
Utilization
62%
Effective Hourly Rate Across All Worked Time
$74.40
Disclaimer
This calculator is for planning and estimation. It does not replace a detailed timesheet, contract review, or project-specific pricing decision.
How this billable hours calculator works
This page now covers both planning future capacity and reviewing real tracked hours.
capacityBillableHours = weeklyHours * (52 - vacationWeeks) * billableRatio
capacityRevenue = capacityBillableHours * hourlyRate
utilization = billableHours / (billableHours + nonBillableHours)
grossBillableRevenue = hourlyRate * billableHours
discountAmount = grossBillableRevenue * discountRate
invoiceTotal = grossBillableRevenue - discountAmount + expenses
effectiveHourlyRate = invoiceTotal / totalHours
The important distinction is whether you are forecasting future capacity or auditing hours already worked. The page now handles both instead of forcing everything through annual income math.
Need help setting the ratio?
Use the guide to estimate non-billable workload, capacity leaks, and a realistic utilization range.
Need to turn capacity into a quote?
Translate the baseline into a day rate or package it inside a client-ready quote template.
Frequently Asked Questions
Short answers to the questions freelancers usually ask before using this calculator.
What is a realistic billable ratio for freelancers?
A realistic billable ratio usually falls below the percentage you want. Early-stage freelancers often land around 0.45 to 0.60, while specialists with repeat clients and tighter systems may sustain 0.60 to 0.75.
When should I use Capacity Planner instead of Revenue Check?
Use Capacity Planner when you are estimating next quarter or next year before pricing work. Use Revenue Check when you already know the hours for a project, sprint, or invoice and want to measure utilization and actual hourly yield.
Why does non-billable time matter so much?
Because quoted rate and actual earnings are not the same. As soon as admin, sales, meetings, revisions, or discounts creep in, your effective hourly rate drops below the number on the proposal.