Method
How the number is calculated.
It is a model, not a survey.
Nobody was polled. There is no panel of invoices behind this and we are not going to pretend otherwise. What follows is the arithmetic in full, so you can decide how much of it you believe and move the number when you know something it does not.
The formula
raw hourly = skill base
× seniority
× region
× client type
× demand
× year curve
× niche
× complexity
recommended = round( max( raw × 1.12 , income floor ) , $5 )
floor = recommended × 0.78
stretch = recommended × 1.28The × 1.12 is the overhead a self-employed person carries and an employee does not: tools, unpaid admin, the benefits you fund yourself. The income floor only bites when the market maths lands under what your stated annual target actually requires, and when it does, the calculator says so in the breakdown rather than moving the number quietly.
Seniority
Set directly, or inferred from years if you leave it alone.
| Level | Multiplier | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Junior | ×0.58 | 0–2 |
| Mid-level | ×0.88 | 3–5 |
| Senior | ×1.18 | 6–10 |
| Staff / Lead | ×1.48 | 10–15 |
| Principal | ×1.78 | 15+ |
Years also apply a separate curve of 1.8% per year either side of five, capped at five years below and twenty above, so experience keeps counting inside a band rather than jumping at the boundary.
Region
Where the work is billed from. If you live somewhere cheap and sell into the US market, pick the last row and keep the difference.
| Region | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| US / Canada — major metro | ×1.00 |
| US / Canada — rest of country | ×0.86 |
| UK / Western Europe | ×0.92 |
| Nordics / Switzerland / Australia | ×1.06 |
| Eastern Europe | ×0.56 |
| Latin America | ×0.52 |
| Southeast Asia | ×0.46 |
| South Asia | ×0.40 |
| Middle East / North Africa | ×0.72 |
| Remote — global clients | ×0.90 |
| Bill US-market rates (anywhere) | ×1.00 |
Client type
| Client | Multiplier | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Startup | ×0.92 | Equity sometimes, tighter cash |
| SMB / independent | ×1.00 | Fair market, relationship-led |
| Agency subcontract | ×0.84 | They take margin; volume possible |
| Enterprise | ×1.28 | Procurement, longer cycles, higher floor |
Scope, niche and demand
| Input | Effect |
|---|---|
| Scope complexity, 0 to 5 | ×0.90 to ×1.15 |
| A named niche | ×1.08 |
| Demand index, per skill | ×0.90 to ×1.48 |
Pick more than one skill and the first counts at full weight, the rest at 0.55. A generalist is worth more than one specialism and less than the sum of several.
Turning an hourly rate into the other shapes
| Shape | How | |
|---|---|---|
| Day rate | hourly × 6.5 | Not eight. Lunch and Slack do not bill. |
| Fixed project | hourly × hours × 1.08 to 1.28 | The multiplier is scope risk. Change orders are extra. |
| Monthly retainer | hourly × hours × 0.92 | A small discount, because the hours are reserved. |
| Take-home shown | billed × 0.72 | The other 28% is self-employment tax and overhead. |
Reference rates, in full
The starting hourly figure for each skill, before any multiplier. US mid-senior freelance work. These are the numbers we set, and they are the ones worth arguing about.
Engineering
| Skill | Base | Demand |
|---|---|---|
| AI / Machine Learning | $185/hr | ×1.42 |
| AI Engineering / LLM apps | $175/hr | ×1.48 |
| Data Engineering | $150/hr | ×1.22 |
| Full-stack JavaScript | $138/hr | ×1.18 |
| React / Frontend | $128/hr | ×1.12 |
| Node.js / Backend | $132/hr | ×1.10 |
| Python / Backend | $134/hr | ×1.14 |
| DevOps / Cloud / SRE | $155/hr | ×1.26 |
| iOS / Android | $142/hr | ×1.08 |
| Security / AppSec | $168/hr | ×1.30 |
| Web3 / Blockchain | $160/hr | ×0.92 |
Design
| Skill | Base | Demand |
|---|---|---|
| Product Design | $125/hr | ×1.12 |
| UX Research | $118/hr | ×1.02 |
| Brand / Visual Design | $108/hr | ×0.96 |
Creative
| Skill | Base | Demand |
|---|---|---|
| Motion / Video | $112/hr | ×1.08 |
| 3D / CGI | $130/hr | ×1.04 |
Writing
| Skill | Base | Demand |
|---|---|---|
| Copywriting | $95/hr | ×1.00 |
| Content Strategy | $105/hr | ×1.06 |
| Technical Writing | $110/hr | ×1.10 |
Marketing
| Skill | Base | Demand |
|---|---|---|
| SEO / Organic growth | $98/hr | ×1.12 |
| Paid media | $102/hr | ×1.06 |
| Social / Community | $78/hr | ×0.90 |
| Email / Lifecycle | $92/hr | ×1.04 |
Strategy
| Skill | Base | Demand |
|---|---|---|
| Product Management | $145/hr | ×1.12 |
| Business Strategy | $165/hr | ×1.16 |
| Operations / Fractional COO | $152/hr | ×1.10 |
| Fractional CFO / Finance | $170/hr | ×1.14 |
| Legal ops / contracts | $148/hr | ×1.08 |
Go-to-market
| Skill | Base | Demand |
|---|---|---|
| Sales / BDR systems | $120/hr | ×1.05 |
| Customer success | $95/hr | ×0.98 |
What this does not do
- It does not know your market. A model cannot see that the client has three other quotes, or that you are the only person in the state who can do the job.
- It does not promise anyone will pay the number. It gives you a position you can defend and a floor you agreed to in advance, which is most of the value.
- The percentile shown next to a quote is your position inside this model's own band. It is arithmetic, not a market ranking, and it is labelled that way on purpose.