Is that freelance rate actually better than a salary?
A $100/hr rate sounds better than a $120k salary — until self-employment tax, no benefits, unpaid admin time, and income variability enter the picture.
✓ All calculations happen in your browser — we never see your numbers
$
30 hrs
75%
15.3%
$
$
$
$
5 hrs
3 wks
A $100/hr rate sounds better than a $120k salary until you account for the 15.3% self-employment tax, the hours you can't bill, the weeks you don't get paid, and the benefits you're now buying yourself. This section captures all of that.
$
4%
$
20 days
$
A salary is never just the salary. The match, the insurance subsidy, and paid time off all have real dollar value — this section totals them up so the comparison to freelancing is apples-to-apples.
What rate do you need to match the salary?
Employee salary
$120,000
Equivalent freelance rate
$171/hr
Your rate
$100/hr
You're behind by
$65,849
Rate needed to match: $171/hr
Share your result