How Many Hours Can a Freelancer Bill per Year?
The most common reason for prices that are too low: calculating with 40 paid hours a week. In reality, nobody pays for the time you spend on quotes, invoices, sales, travel or waiting for the next job.
Step 1: working days per year
52 weeks × 5 days = 260 days. Subtract holidays, public holidays on weekdays, sick days and a few days for training. With the defaults of this version that leaves 214 working days.
Step 2: the paid share
Of 1,712 hours of work, only a share can be billed. A common rule of thumb is 50–75 %: lower when you start out or work on many small jobs, higher on long projects for one client. At 65 % you get about 1,113 hours a year – roughly 24 per week.
Step 3: plan with a margin
The calculator shows three utilisation levels side by side. Plan with the middle one and check that you can still manage with the lowest. If not, you need a higher rate or a larger buffer.
Measure instead of guessing
After a few months you will know better: record every hour for a while and mark which ones were paid.
General information, not tax or legal advice. For your situation, ask an accountant or your tax office. Last updated: November 2026