Calculate billable capacity
working days − holidays − admin/training − expected contract gapsExample: 260 working days − 30 holiday days − 20 admin days − 25 gap days = 185 billable days.
Free quick calculator
Find your cost-covering day-rate floor.
Enter five assumptions. You will get a practical estimate that covers your annual costs, reserve and a safety buffer — without creating an account.
- Your figures stay in this browser.
- Comma and point decimals both work.
- This is a planning estimate, not tax advice.
Estimated cost-covering floor
€316/day- Annual costs funded
- €33,000
- Revenue needed before buffer
- €50,769
- Billable capacity
- 185 days
Your €316/day result answers one question: what covers today's costs.
The full planner shows whether your rate survives contract gaps—and how a higher rate changes your timeline.
- Cash runway
- Rate and downside scenarios
- Private + client-safe PDFs
The complete formula
Start with the days you can really invoice.
Your minimum rate is not annual salary divided by an optimistic working year. It must cover non-billable time, business costs, personal spending, reserves and the surplus you want to create.
Calculate required revenue
(personal spending + business costs + desired surplus − other income) ÷ (1 − tax reserve)Example: (€24,000 + €9,000 + €12,000) ÷ 65% = €69,231 revenue.
Add uncertainty margin
(required revenue ÷ billable days) × (1 + safety buffer)Example: (€69,231 ÷ 185) × 115% = a private floor of approximately €430 per day.
Worked example
A €500 current rate is not the same as a €430 minimum.
The €430 figure is the private minimum needed to fund these assumptions. The €500 rate is what the contractor currently charges. The €70 difference is margin for faster progress, changing assumptions or additional risk.
Current rate€500/dayPrivate minimum€430/dayMargin+€70/day
Common questions
Use the number correctly.
Why not divide annual costs by 220 days?
Because holidays, administration, training and gaps between contracts reduce the days you can actually invoice.
Does the formula calculate exact tax?
No. Use a conservative tax or extraction reserve, then verify exact tax and cross-border questions with a qualified adviser.
Should the quoted rate equal the minimum rate?
Not necessarily. The minimum is your private floor. Your quoted rate should also reflect market value, responsibility, risk and negotiating room.
Replace the hand-built spreadsheet with the complete planner.
Change every assumption, add a savings and optionality target, compare higher rates and downside scenarios, then download a private decision summary and a client-safe negotiation brief.
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