Estimate what a freelance project proposal may actually leave after direct costs, platform or payment fees, and a tax reserve. The calculation makes each deduction visible and also converts the result into a net hourly earning rate. Use your own percentages because platform terms and tax treatment change by provider, location, and individual circumstances.
The main result is estimated project take-home before personal spending. The hourly secondary result includes all hours entered, not only billable delivery time.
This is a planning estimate. Actual deductible costs, fee treatment, and taxes depend on your contracts and jurisdiction.
A $10,000 project with $1,200 expenses and a 5% fee leaves $8,300 before tax. Reserving 25% ($2,075) gives $6,225 net earnings, or $62.25 across 100 hours.
Yes. This model applies the entered fee percentage to the accepted proposal amount.
The calculator applies the reserve only to positive pre-tax project profit.
Yes. Include delivery, meetings, revisions, administration, and other time required by the project.
Add fixed fees to direct project expenses and use the percentage field for variable fees.
Not necessarily. It reflects only the expenses and reserve entered and is intended for proposal planning.
| Input | Meaning | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Accepted proposal amount | User-entered planning assumption | USD |
| Direct project expenses | User-entered planning assumption | USD |
| Platform or payment fee | User-entered planning assumption | % |
| Estimated tax reserve rate | User-entered planning assumption | % |
| Total project hours | User-entered planning assumption | hours |