Plan your freelance finances with confidence. Enter your savings, monthly and annual expenses, and your income to see whether you are over or under budget. Free, and no signup needed.
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A freelance budget is a simple plan that lines up the money coming in against the money going out, so you can see whether you are living within your means. Because freelance income is often irregular, a budget is one of the most useful tools you have for staying in control.
Some months are busy and some are quiet, so a budget helps you smooth out the gaps.
No employer withholds tax for you, so you need to plan and set it aside yourself.
Health, retirement, and time off all come out of your own income, so budget for them.
Knowing your numbers means fewer surprises and better calls on what work to take.
Enter what you put toward savings each month, your monthly and annual expenses, and your income. The calculator totals each group and tells you whether you are over budget (spending more than you bring in) or under budget (with money to spare).
A simple place to start: split your take-home pay into three buckets. As a freelancer, set your tax money aside first, then apply the split to what is left.
Rent, food, utilities, insurance, the essentials you cannot skip.
The nice-to-haves: eating out, subscriptions, hobbies, and travel.
Your emergency fund, retirement, and paying down any debt.
The percentages are a guide, not a rule. Adjust them to fit your income and goals.
When some months are busy and others are quiet, budget from your quiet months, not your best ones:
Quiet months are not the only gap to plan for.
From our invoice data: About 65% of paid invoices are paid after their due date (6,951 paid invoices, 67 businesses). Most invoices are due on receipt, so almost any payment after the day an invoice is sent counts as late.
Source: Billbooks invoice data, 8,483 invoices from 112 small businesses, September 2024 to September 2026 (aggregate only, figures shown only where 25+ businesses contribute). See the invoice payment study
Invoice clients, track what you are owed, and get paid faster with a free Billbooks account.
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Once you know what the year costs, what should I charge turns it into an hourly rate. Driving for work? The mileage deduction calculator covers a deduction people often miss.
Working for yourself? These guides go further:
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