Salary to Freelance Rate Converter

Find the freelance rate that matches a full-time salary once you replace benefits, employer taxes and paid time off. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.

Works in any currency: enter amounts in your own currency (USD, EUR, GBP, INR…).

Salary package

Annual salary

Benefits value (health, pension, bonus) (% of salary)

Employer payroll taxes (% of salary)

Annual business expenses as a freelancer

Time

Working days per year

Days off (holidays, vacation, sick)

Hours per day

Billable share (%)

Results

Equivalent freelance hourly rate

Equivalent day rate

Total value to replace

Billable hours / year

Salary ÷ 2080 (naive)

Why salary ÷ 2080 undercharges

Dividing a salary by 2,080 hours ignores everything an employer pays for: benefits, employer payroll taxes, paid holidays and the non-billable time freelancers spend finding work. This converter computes:

Value to replace = salary × (1 + benefits % + employer tax %) + business expenses
Billable hours = (working days − days off) × hours per day × billable %
Rate = value ÷ billable hours

A common rule of thumb is that a contractor needs 1.5–2× the naive hourly salary rate; the calculator shows the number for your situation.

FAQ

How do I convert a salary to an hourly contract rate?

Add benefits and employer taxes to the salary, add business expenses, then divide by your realistic billable hours, not 2,080.

What employer payroll tax should I use?

7.65% in the US (Social Security and Medicare); other countries differ — often 10–25% in Europe.

Is the 2x rule accurate?

It is a rough guide; this calculator replaces it with your own numbers.