Know the lowest rate you can afford to charge and a defensible target rate — with the math visible — then turn those rates into client-ready project quotes and anchored 3-tier packages. When a client asks "why does it cost that much," you'll have an answer grounded in arithmetic — your arithmetic.
Freelancers and independent contractors who quote per project or per hour: designers, writers, developers, marketers, consultants, photographers, and anyone tired of rate-guessing. Works for any currency and any country — the tax reserve is a generic planning percentage you set yourself.
Most freelancers set their rates by copying numbers they saw online — other people's costs, other people's markets, other people's lives. The result: rates that feel random, quotes built on vibes, and the nagging suspicion you're either leaving money on the table or pricing yourself out.
Rate Architect prices you from your costs upward. Enter your target take-home, itemized expenses, tax reserve, and real availability, and it derives the rates your business actually needs: break-even hourly, target hourly, day, half-day, and weekly rates. Then it turns those rates into client-ready project quotes and anchored 3-tier packages.
A freelance designer charging $50/hr because "that's what everyone charges" runs the reverse checker and discovers her current rate implies $31,196 less take-home than her target. She rebuilds her next proposal from her real target rate — and can explain every dollar of it.
[ACTIVATE WHEN LIVE: quotekit-freelance-quote-calculator] Rate Architect helps you calculate the rate; QuoteKit — Freelance Quote Calculator helps you quote it. Use Rate Architect to work out WHAT your rate should be, then build fast itemized client quotes from that known rate in QuoteKit.
.xlsx works in Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets. No macros, no add-ins, no internet. Prints to clean PDF from any sheet.
Basic spreadsheet comfort (typing numbers into shaded cells). No accounting background needed — the guide walks through every concept.
Instant download ZIP after purchase. Free updates to v1.x.
Single-buyer license: use in your own freelance business, including quotes you send to clients. No redistribution, resale, or sharing of the files.
Q: I'm not in the US. Does this work for me? A: Yes. The "tax reserve" is a generic percentage you set to your total tax burden. Nothing else is country-specific.
Q: Excel or Google Sheets — which is better for this? A: Both work identically. Upload the .xlsx to Google Drive and open with Sheets, or open directly in Excel.
Q: Why is my target rate higher than I expected? A: Usually too few billable hours or the first honest look at expenses. The math is showing what the business actually costs — that's the point.
Q: Can I use the CLIENT QUOTE sheet with my branding? A: Yes — add your logo and colors; all content cells are editable.
Q: How is this different from a simple hourly-rate calculator? A: It derives the rate from a full cost stack (taxes grossed up, non-billable time, profit buffer), then carries that rate through quotes and packages with a reverse checker and sensitivity analysis.
Questions? Contact us through the Gumroad product page. Free updates to v1.x.
rate-architect-freelance-rate-calculator
Yes. The "tax reserve" is a generic percentage you set to your total tax burden. Nothing else is country-specific.
Both work identically. Upload the .xlsx to Google Drive and open with Sheets, or open directly in Excel.
Usually too few billable hours or the first honest look at expenses. The math is showing what the business actually costs — that's the point.
Yes — add your logo and colors; all content cells are editable.
It derives the rate from a full cost stack (taxes grossed up, non-billable time, profit buffer), then carries that rate through quotes and packages with a reverse checker and sensitivity analysis.
Message the seller through the Gumroad product page contact form.
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