Free UK rate and tax calculators
You are almost certainly undercharging.
Freelancers price by taking a salary they would be happy with and dividing by the days in a year. That sum quietly forgets holiday, sick days, pensions, business costs, and every day spent working without invoicing. Here is the arithmetic as it actually is.
No sign-up, nothing stored, nothing to buy. 2026/27 HMRC rates.
What you need to charge
Assuming 33 days of holiday, 5 sick days, 70% of the remaining time billable, and £4,000 of business costs.
Your circumstances are not the average. Put your own numbers in.
| To take home | You must invoice | Billable days | Day rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £40,124 | 155 | £258 |
| £40,000 | £53,638 | 155 | £345 |
| £50,000 | £70,704 | 155 | £455 |
| £60,000 | £87,946 | 155 | £566 |
| £80,000 | £131,282 | 155 | £845 |
Every calculator
All free, all using 2026/27 HMRC rates, none of them asking you to sign up. Each one shows its working so you can check it against the published figures.
- Day rateWork back from the take-home you want to the rate that funds it.
- Take-home payWhat a day rate really leaves, and the share of each invoice to set aside.
- Ltd vs sole traderWhether incorporating still pays, after the April 2026 dividend rise.
- Inside vs outside IR35What the same contract is worth either side of a status determination.
- VAT thresholdHow close you are to £90,000, and whether crossing it costs you anything.
- MileageYour claim at the new 55p rate, and what it saves rather than what it totals.
Three things the usual sum leaves out
Unbillable days
Pitching, invoicing, admin, marketing and the gaps between contracts are real work that no client pays for. They come out of the days that do get billed.
Benefits you now fund
Holiday, sick pay and pension contributions used to be someone else's line item. They are yours now, and they belong inside your rate.
Tax arriving late
The whole invoice lands in your account and feels like income. The bill for it turns up months later, sometimes with a payment on account attached.