For freelancers and independent consultants
Price your work.
Present it clearly.
Free calculators for your time and costs, plus a practical AI-prompt workbook for writing client proposals.
The hourly rate calculator
Start with the work your income needs to cover.
Adjust the four inputs below. All money figures are in USD.
Set a target that allows for your personal tax, benefits and savings needs.
Use an annual average that allows for holidays and other time away.
The rest is for admin, marketing, learning and the work between projects.
Include recurring software, equipment, workspace and other business costs.
Your planning hourly rate
$72 / hr
This covers the income and expenses you entered. Personal taxes, benefits and time off need to be allowed for in your inputs.
Calculation: (monthly income target + business expenses) ÷ (average weekly hours × 52 / 12 × billable share). This is a cost and capacity estimate, not a market-rate benchmark.
How to use the resources
From an estimate to a clear offer.
01 / ESTIMATE
Know your starting point.
Allow for your income target, costs and the time you can actually bill.
02 / SCOPE
Include the whole project.
Use the project calculator to include delivery, meetings, admin, revisions and external costs.
03 / EXPLAIN
Make the proposal specific.
Use the free workbook to organize your notes, explain your scope and fee, and check the draft before sending.
AI Prompts
for Clearer
Client Proposals
A practical prompt workbook for freelancers and consultants.
Five stages / Copyable promptsWorked example and send checklist
Free 18-page PDF workbook
Put your fee into a clear client proposal.
Use a five-stage process to turn discovery notes, an agreed scope and your price into a draft you can review.
- Copyable prompts for discovery, positioning, structure and review.
- A clearly labelled sample proposal and a reusable outline.
- A final checklist for facts, scope, fees and next steps.
Articles
Read more about pricing and proposals.
Using AI to prepare a client proposal
A staged approach to discovery notes, positioning, structure and editing.
Read the article →Pricing your first freelance project
Think through project effort, scope and the conversation about your fee.
Read the article →Putting your agreement in writing
Consider how scope, responsibilities and payment terms fit together.
Read the article →A few useful answers
Before you use the tools.
Is the calculator telling me what a client will pay?
No. It produces an estimate from your inputs. Compare it with the project scope, your capacity, your evidence of value and the market before setting a fee.
Does the hourly rate include personal tax and time off?
Enter an income target before personal tax, allowing for your own tax and benefit needs. Use average weekly hours that already allow for holidays and other time away. The tool uses 52 weeks divided by 12 months; it does not calculate local taxes or benefits for you.
What happens to the numbers I enter?
The calculators run in your browser. Their inputs are not submitted with the newsletter form. The signup form sends your email address to MailerLite to manage your subscription. See the privacy policy for the site’s wider data practices.
Which calculators are available?
The hourly and fixed-price project calculators are available. Use the hourly estimate to inform the cost of your time, then account for the full project effort and expenses.
When will I receive the workbook?
Check your email after signing up. If you receive a confirmation request, follow it to finish subscribing. Check Spam or Promotions if you do not see the email.
Will these prompts win the project for me?
The workbook is a drafting and review aid. It makes no promise about client decisions, revenue or hours saved. You remain responsible for the facts, scope, price and commitments you send.