Help me calculate my freelance rate based on real numbers, not 'charge what you're worth'.
MY DISCIPLINE: {design / dev / writing / consulting / video / other}
EXPERIENCE LEVEL: {junior / mid / senior / 10+_years}
LOCATION: {country + city — affects cost of living}
TARGET ANNUAL INCOME (take-home, after tax): {amount}
ESTIMATED TAX RATE (self-employment + income): {%}
BUSINESS EXPENSES (tools, hosting, accountant, insurance): {annual_amount}
VACATION + SICK + UNPAID TIME I WANT: {weeks/year}
UTILIZATION (% of work hours that are actually billable — be honest, usually 50-65%): {%}
HOURS PER WEEK I WANT TO WORK: {hours}
DELIVERABLE TYPES: {hourly / day rate / project / retainer}
CURRENT CLIENTS / PIPELINE: {established / new / one-off}
OUTPUT:
1. **The math** — step-by-step from take-home income → gross → billable hours → hourly rate.
2. **My floor** — the rate I should NEVER go below, even for a 'dream client'. Justify with one sentence.
3. **My target** — the rate I aim for on most projects.
4. **My stretch** — what I quote for hard projects, new clients I'd love, scope risk.
5. **Day rate, week rate, project rate** equivalents — for clients who hate hourly.
6. **A 1-paragraph 'sanity check' on my number** — is it realistic vs market for my discipline/location?
7. **3 mistakes most freelancers make** with rate-setting that I should avoid.0 copies·0 saves·1 views
226 words·1,362 chars
Sample output
Profile: product designer, 8 years experience, Austin TX, target take-home $95K, tax ~30%, business expenses $4,800/yr, 6 weeks off, utilization 55%, want 35 hrs/wk work, hybrid hourly + project, established client base.
The math:
Round up for unexpected expenses and 'no-show clients': $165/hr target.
Floor (never below): $135/hr. Below this you're working harder for less than a senior corporate role would pay after benefits. Sentence: anything below this is paying YOU to take risk that should be paid for.
Target (most projects): $165/hr.
Parameters
Text generation parameters
FAQ
Quote rate with confidence in 1 sentence and stop talking. The next person to speak loses the negotiation. Most freelancers ruin their own rate by adding 3 justifications after the number. The prompt targets ChatGPT (GPT-4) and lives in the Personal & Career category on mycopyprompt.
This prompt is written for ChatGPT (GPT-4). It's a text/chat prompt — paste it into ChatGPT (GPT-4) (or compatible LLMs like Claude or GPT-4) to get the expected output.
1. Click the Copy button on this page to copy the full prompt. 2. Open ChatGPT (GPT-4). 3. Paste the prompt into a new conversation. 4. Replace any {placeholders} with your specifics, then send. Most prompts produce the right output on the first try; complex ones may need 1-2 iterations.
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Absolutely — most prompts are templates. Look for {placeholders} (curly braces) and swap them with your own values. You can also reword sections, add constraints, or chain it with other prompts.
See the "Sample output" panel above — that's a real example of what ChatGPT (GPT-4) returns when this prompt runs. Your output will vary in wording but should follow the same structure and depth.
Similar prompts
Matched against every prompt in the catalog by title.
Stretch (hard / risky / dream-not-budgeted): $210-$240/hr. Use for: short timelines, scope ambiguity, new clients with no referral.
Equivalents (for clients who hate hourly):
Sanity check: For a senior product designer with 8 years in the US (Texas), $135-$220/hr is standard market. You're in the band. The number is realistic. Local in-house comp at your seniority is ~$160-180K all-in — your freelance number should beat that or it's not worth the risk.
3 mistakes most freelancers make: