Freelance Rate Calculator & Project Pricing Kit — Stop Undercharging

Freelance rate calculator spreadsheet in XLSX format, for the moment you realise a good year left nothing after tax.

Most freelancers set a rate by guessing what the market pays. This works the maths the right direction: start from the take-home you actually want, gross up for tax and overhead, divide by the hours you can realistically bill, and out comes a floor rate you can defend. You type in one tab and everything else fills itself in.

WHAT’S INSIDE — 4 TABS

1. ✓ Your Rate — income goal, weeks off, hours per week, utilisation, tax rate and overhead. Out comes your required hourly and day rate, plus a sensitivity table at 50, 60 and 70 percent utilisation, so you can see what a slow quarter really costs.
2. ✓ Project Quote — estimated hours, complexity and rush multipliers from dropdowns, and pass-through expenses. You get a suggested quote, and if you round the final price below your floor the margin check turns red before the client ever sees the number.
3. ✓ Income Tracker — twelve months of invoiced, collected, expenses and billable hours, with net, running total, utilisation and yearly totals computed for you.
4. ✓ Start Here — plain-English instructions, the exact maths explained, and the colour legend: yellow means type, grey means computed.

KEY FEATURES ✓ Real formulas, no macros, nothing to enable. ✓ Locked formulas. Grey cells are protected and every yellow input stays fully editable; no password is set. ✓ The margin check is the point — it catches the discount you were about to give away. ✓ Quickstart instructions built into the Start Here tab.

PERFECT FOR freelancers and consultants setting a rate for the first time, agencies quoting fixed-price work, designers, developers, writers and virtual assistants.

PLEASE NOTE. Digital download; nothing is shipped. A pricing tool, not financial advice — your tax rate and overhead are cells you set, so the answer is yours rather than a number baked into the file.

The listing images use demonstration names and numbers. The download is the reusable template, with entry rows ready for your own work.

WORKS WITH XLSX format. Excel and Google Sheets behavior has not been independently verified. Google Sheets: import the .xlsx with File > Import > Upload. This conversion has not been independently verified; keep the original as a backup and spot-check key totals and times. Use a larger screen when reviewing full tables.

HOW TO DOWNLOAD

1. Buy. Delivery is instant — nothing ships.
2. Open the marketplace download page after checkout. Account buyers can also reopen the order from their purchases or library; guest buyers use the receipt-email link. If the app shows no download button, use a browser.
3. Download the workbook and the 3-page quickstart PDF.
4. Fill in the yellow cells. You are running. SUPPORT. The address currently monitored for Lark Paper questions is [email protected].

Not what you expected? Message us within 30 days.

AI DISCLOSURE. AI tools helped build the formulas, layout and wording.

Add to cart and start tonight.