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The rate you should actually quote.

Most freelancers undercharge by 30–40%. Work backwards from your take-home goal — in ₹ or USD — to the rate that covers tax, expenses, and the hours you don't get paid for.

Your income goals

after tax & expenses
₹
software, coworking, gear
₹

Your tax is computed in ₹ either way — this converts the rate you quote.

46 weeks

52 minus vacation, sick days, buffer.

40 hrs
60%

Most freelancers bill only 50–70% of their time.

20%

For slow months, bad debt, scope creep.

With a 20% profit buffer

Minimum rate (no buffer)₹2,393/hr
Recommended rate₹2,872/hr

At ₹2,872/hr × 1104 billable hrs = ₹31,70,688 gross → minus ₹1,22,510 tax and ₹60,000 expenses = ₹29,88,178 take-home — ₹4,88,178 above your ₹25,00,000 target, as room for slow months and scope creep.

What if? Raise your billable ratio from 60% to 70% and your minimum rate drops to ₹2,051/hr — a ₹342 cut. More billable hours = lower rate needed for the same take-home.

Take it with you

Take the derivation with you

The full working behind your rate — target take-home, costs, tax, and the billable hours that actually exist in a year. The document to open when a client asks why your rate is what it is.

No email, no signup — the PDF downloads straight to your device.

Track hours against this rate — try HourSlip free →

How this works

Price for the hours you don't bill.

How much should an Indian freelancer charge per hour?
Rates vary widely by craft and city. Indian dev/design freelancers earning ₹10–25L/year typically charge ₹1,500–4,500/hr to direct clients. Platform-billed work (Upwork, Toptal) is usually 2–3× higher in USD terms. Our calculator works backwards from your take-home goal — type your number to find yours.
What billable percentage should I assume?
60–70% is realistic for a sole freelancer (the rest goes to admin, sales, breaks, sick days, training). Below 50% means you're under-utilising; above 80% is unsustainable long-term.
Should my hourly rate include GST?
No — quote your rate excluding GST. If you're GST-registered, you'll add 18% on top when invoicing (the client claims it back as input credit if they're also GST-registered). Quoting tax-inclusive numbers confuses clients and erodes your margin.
How do I factor in 44ADA when pricing?
44ADA taxes 50% of your receipts as profit; the other 50% is a notional allowance for expenses, not money you have to bill extra for. So the billings you need are your take-home target plus your real expenses plus the tax on half your billings — for a ₹15L take-home with modest expenses that tax is nil under the new regime's rebate, so billings of roughly ₹15–16L. The calculator does this automatically (and the 44ADA route applies only if your profession qualifies).

Tax estimate uses 44ADA presumptive taxation (open only to specified professions such as IT, engineering, architecture, legal, medical and accountancy) in the regime you pick. Adjust if your situation is different. Results are indicative.

Related guides

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