Freelance rates: how to set yours (writers, designers, video editors)
How to set freelance rates by role and country: the employee-to-freelance method, a worked example and official pay data sources.
There's no official table of freelance rates. Rates vary by niche, country and experience, and most published "rate surveys" are self-reported. The most defensible method starts from what the work pays an employee, then adds the costs an employer would otherwise cover.
The conversion method
- Find employee pay for your occupation in official data (below).
- Add what an employer would cover: both halves of payroll taxes (in the U.S. you pay these through SE tax), health insurance, retirement, equipment, software and paid time off.
- Divide by your billable hours, not total hours. Solo businesses spend a lot of time on sales and admin.
The freelance rate calculator does this maths for you.
Worked example
Target income $70,000 + business costs $6,000. Billing 25 hours a week for 46 weeks gives 1,150 hours. $76,000 ÷ 1,150 ≈ $66/hour before any tax allowance. Adding a tax allowance raises the rate, and the calculator includes it.
Official pay data
| Role | U.S. employee pay data |
|---|---|
| Writers and authors | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| Graphic designers | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| Web developers & digital designers | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| Film and video editors | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| Photographers | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| Interpreters and translators | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| Software developers | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| Management analysts (consultants) | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| Bookkeeping clerks | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| Public relations specialists | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook |
UK: ONS earnings data. Canada: Job Bank wages.
Example: pricing freelance video editor rates
Video editing shows why one hourly number rarely fits. Start from the BLS pay data for film and video editors in the table above, convert it with the method above, then package it the way clients buy:
- Per finished minute or per clip for short-form and social edits, where clients compare output.
- Per project for long-form edits, with a written number of revision rounds.
- Day rate for on-site or agency overflow work.
Price in the extras you would otherwise give away: footage review time, music licensing, colour and sound passes, and file delivery. Track your real hours on the first few projects and adjust the package price, not just the hourly rate.
Hourly, day rate or project?
- Hourly: fair for undefined work, but caps your upside.
- Day rate: common for contractors and simpler to sell.
- Project/value: best once you can scope well, because you keep the gains from working faster.
By role: freelance designer rates.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my freelance hourly rate?
How do I convert a day rate to an annual salary?
Sources
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook bls.gov
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook bls.gov
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook bls.gov
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook bls.gov
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook bls.gov
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook bls.gov
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook bls.gov
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook bls.gov
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook bls.gov
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook bls.gov
- ONS earnings data ons.gov.uk
- Job Bank wages jobbank.gc.ca
Checked 21 Oct 2026. Spotted an error? Tell us.
Update history
- : first published; figures checked against the sources listed.