Freelancer Profit Calculator
Model a month of freelance work from projects and average invoice to after-reserve profit. Enter billable and non-billable time, client-acquisition commission, processing, payout or FX, delivery expenses, subcontractors, software, marketing or lead costs, overhead, refund or bad-debt reserve, and tax reserve. The model stays generic so it does not imply that any one marketplace's terms apply to every freelancer.
Best for
Make the next pricing or planning decision with context
Compare what remains from your freelance work after the costs and fees you enter, then test a conservative and target scenario. It covers monthly freelancer projects after generic acquisition, payment, payout, delivery, subcontractor, overhead, refund, and tax costs.
Instant calculations · Editable fee assumptions · Export-ready results
Inputs
Values update results instantly. Adjust fee assumptions to match your seller dashboard.
Your figures are saved in this browser on this device.
Monthly revenue
Completed or expected projects in the modeled month.
Average project value before freelancer-side costs.
Use a route label and set the acquisition cost that matches your mix.
Time and delivery
Hands-on delivery time included in project work.
Proposals, calls, revisions, project management, and admin time.
Revenue deductions
Editable marketplace, referral, or lead-channel commission. Set zero when none applies.
External processor rate, separate from acquisition commission.
Fixed processor cost per project payment.
Bank, payout, or currency-conversion percentage.
Fixed payout cost per withdrawal or transfer.
Used to allocate fixed payout charges.
Business costs
Planning holdback from gross revenue for refunds, cancellations, or unpaid invoices.
Materials, travel, direct tools, or project-specific expenses.
Outside specialists or outsourced delivery work.
Operating costs
Work tools, proposals, accounting, storage, and subscriptions.
Advertising, networking, lead services, or referral spend.
Insurance, workspace, accounting, admin, and recurring business costs.
Profit and reserve
Cash reserve applied only to positive pre-tax profit.
Results
Live estimates based on your inputs and editable fee assumptions.
Gross monthly revenue
$5,000.00
Client-acquisition commission
$0.00
Payment processing
$146.50
Payout and FX costs
$0.00
Refund and bad-debt reserve
$150.00
Delivery and subcontractors
$875.00
Software, marketing, and overhead
$600.00
Pre-tax profit
$3,228.50
Tax reserve
$645.70
After-reserve profit
$2,582.80
Pre-tax profit margin
Excellent64.6%
Pre-tax profit per project
$645.70
After-reserve effective hourly rate
$36.90
After-reserve profit divided by billable and non-billable time.
Total project hours
70
Contribution per project
$765.70
Amount available to cover monthly fixed costs.
Break-even projects
1
Projects needed to cover fixed monthly costs.
Client source context
Direct client mix
What this means
Pre-tax profit is 3228.50 at a 64.6% margin. After reserve, profit is 2582.80 across 70.0 total project hours.
Monthly freelancer profit breakdown
Interactive breakdown of fees, costs, and remaining profit.
Distribution
- Payment processing$146.502.9%
- Refund and bad debt$150.003.0%
- Delivery and subcontractors$875.0017.5%
- Operating costs$600.0012.0%
- Tax reserve$645.7012.9%
- After-reserve profit$2,582.8051.7%
Total $5,000.00 · 6 segments · interactive
Line-item breakdown
Dollar amounts, share of revenue, and visual proportion.
- Gross monthly revenue
- $5,000.00
- Client-acquisition commission
- $0.00
- Payment processing
- $146.50
- Payout and FX costs
- $0.00
- Refund and bad-debt reserve
- $150.00
- Delivery and subcontractors
- $875.00
- Software, marketing, and overhead
- $600.00
- Pre-tax profit
- $3,228.50
- Tax reserve
- $645.70
- After-reserve profit
- $2,582.80
- Profit margin
- 64.6%
- Pre-tax profit per project
- $645.70
- Effective after-reserve hourly rate
- $36.90
- Break-even projects
- 1
Assumptions used
- • Direct client mix; acquisition commission 0.0%
- • Gross 1000.00 × 5 projects; total hours 70.0
- • Variable contribution 765.70; fixed monthly costs 600.00
- • No named marketplace terms are applied
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Generated 9/11/2026, 3:20:48 AM · Currency USD
Inputs
- Projects per month: 5
- Average project invoice: 1000
- Client source mix: direct
- Billable hours per project: 10
- Non-billable hours per project: 4
- Client-acquisition commission: 0
- Payment processing rate: 2.9
- Payment processing fixed fee per project: 0.3
- Payout or FX rate: 0
- Payout or FX fixed fee: 0
- Payouts per month: 1
- Refund and bad-debt reserve: 3
- Delivery cost per project: 100
- Subcontractor cost per project: 75
- Software and tools per month: 150
- Marketing and lead costs per month: 200
- Other monthly overhead: 250
- Tax reserve rate: 20
Results
- Gross monthly revenue: $5,000.00
- Client-acquisition commission: $0.00
- Payment processing: $146.50
- Payout and FX costs: $0.00
- Refund and bad-debt reserve: $150.00
- Delivery and subcontractors: $875.00
- Software, marketing, and overhead: $600.00
- Pre-tax profit: $3,228.50
- Tax reserve: $645.70
- After-reserve profit: $2,582.80
- Profit margin: 64.6%
- Pre-tax profit per project: $645.70
- Effective after-reserve hourly rate: $36.90
- Break-even projects: 1
Interpretation
Pre-tax profit is 3228.50 at a 64.6% margin. After reserve, profit is 2582.80 across 70.0 total project hours.
How it works
Methodology & formulas
This calculator is transparent by design. Review the steps and formulas so you can trust the estimate and adjust assumptions when your dashboard differs.
Calculation steps
- 1Calculate gross monthly revenue from projects and average invoice.
- 2Apply acquisition, processing, payout, and refund assumptions.
- 3Subtract per-project delivery and subcontractor costs.
- 4Subtract monthly software, marketing or lead, and overhead costs.
- 5Calculate pre-tax and after-reserve profit, margin, and effective hourly rate.
- 6Estimate break-even projects from contribution per project and monthly fixed costs.
Formulas
- Gross revenue = projects × average invoice
- Processing = gross × processor% + processor fixed × projects
- Payout = gross × payout or FX% + payout fixed × payouts per month
- Pre-tax profit = gross − acquisition − processing − payout − refund reserve − project costs − operating costs
- After-reserve profit = pre-tax profit − max(0, pre-tax profit) × tax reserve
- Contribution per project = invoice × (1 − acquisition − processor − payout − refund) − processor fixed − delivery − subcontractor
- Break-even projects = ceiling(fixed monthly costs ÷ contribution per project)
Important assumptions
- This model is platform-agnostic. Acquisition commission starts at zero and should reflect the actual client source mix rather than a named marketplace's terms.
- Processing and payout or FX costs are separate. The illustrative processor default is editable, and the fixed payout cost is allocated across the entered monthly payouts.
- Delivery and subcontractor costs vary with each project. Software, marketing or lead costs, and other overhead are monthly fixed costs.
- Refund and bad-debt reserve is a planning holdback from gross revenue, not a forecast of any one client's payment behavior.
- Break-even projects use average invoice and contribution. It is a planning scenario, not a prediction of demand or project availability.
Sources & review
Know what this estimate is built on
This calculator is intentionally platform-agnostic, so it does not attach a platform fee URL.
Official references
No single official fee page is attached here. The model keeps these inputs editable so you can use the terms that apply to your situation.
Use the current terms
This model uses editable planning assumptions. Confirm tax, payment, financing, or operating terms with the relevant provider, official authority, or adviser for your situation.
Defaults are editable estimates. Match them to your current account, provider statement, official authority, lender, or adviser before making a pricing or investment decision.
Calculator model reviewed: August 9, 2026. This date covers the page and calculator guidance, not a guarantee that every live platform rate or term was re-audited on that date.
Worked example
Five projects in a month
Five projects average $1,000. The model uses a 10% editable acquisition commission, illustrative processing at 2.9% plus $0.30 per project, payout or FX at 0.5% plus $5 across one payout, a 3% refund reserve, $100 delivery and $75 subcontractor cost per project, $150 software, $200 marketing and lead costs, $250 overhead, 10 billable and 4 non-billable hours per project, and a 20% reserve.
FAQ
Common questions
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