Every free rate calculator does the same naive math: old salary ÷ 2,080. It ignores unpaid vacation, slow months, self-employment tax, insurance, and platform fees. True Rate is the spreadsheet that fixes the math — so you finally know your number.
Less than one hour billed at the rate it helps you find. Delivered by email within 24 hours.
You enter your "current rate" next to your True Rate — and realize you've been working at a discount for years. Not because your work isn't worth it. Because salary ÷ 2,080 was never your rate. It was a wish.
True Rate builds your rate from the ground up: your real billable hours, your real annual costs, and a gross-up that makes sure every quote actually covers what it costs to be self-employed.
Your real working capacity. Set utilization, subtract vacation, sick days, holidays, and a slow-month buffer. This is the number 2,080 pretends to be.
Add self-employment tax (15.3%, pre-set but editable), health insurance, retirement, software, equipment, and platform fees. Watch your hourly floor rise as each real cost is added.
Your minimum, target, and stretch hourly rates — side by side with whatever you're charging now, so the gap is impossible to ignore.
Log clients, rates, and hours. The sheet ranks them by true hourly profit and shows which clients are quietly the least profitable — the ones to raise rates on first.
Enter estimated hours, pick a scenario: lean, standard, or premium. Built-in deposit and discount handling so quotes go out consistent and defensible.
A clean, one-page, print-ready rate card that pulls from your numbers automatically. Send it with proposals.
True Rate ships with a pre-filled worked example — a realistic designer profile — so you can see the whole thing working first. Plus a plain-language instructions tab that walks you through setup in about 20 minutes. No finance background needed. If you can fill in a form, you can use this.
Every formula independently verified against hand-computed values (93/93 checks passed).
New and aspiring freelancers (0–3 years) — designers, writers, developers, virtual assistants, consultants — who suspect they're undercharging and want a number they can defend with a straight face.
Established freelancers with accountants and value-based pricing already dialed in. Anyone looking for tax or legal advice — this is a pricing tool, not an accountant. Spreadsheet power users who'd rather build their own models.
You receive an Excel (.xlsx) file by email. It opens in Excel, Google Sheets (File → Import), or LibreOffice. No installation beyond what you already have.
No. A pre-filled worked example shows everything in action, and the instructions tab walks you through setup in about 20 minutes.
It's built for you. Every input is explained in plain language, and getting your rate right in year one matters more than fixing it in year three.
Yes. The file lives on your own computer or your own Google account. Nothing is shared back — we never see your numbers.
Your purchase is a single-user license. Please don't redistribute the file — if someone you know needs it, send them this page.
It's emailed to the address you check out with, within 24 hours (usually much faster). If the link or file has any problem, reply to that email and it'll be fixed or made right.
Because this is a digital product delivered instantly, all sales are final once the file has been delivered. If your file is broken or doesn't work as described, contact us within 14 days and we'll replace it or resolve the issue.
one-time · yours forever
Secure checkout via Stripe. A straight promise: we can't promise you'll earn more — that depends on your market, your clients, and your nerve. What we promise is that you'll know your numbers.