Day rates hide the gaps
Contractors usually quote a day rate, which makes the year easy to count: how many days can you actually invoice? Take 52 weeks of five days, remove holidays, bank holidays and sick days, then remove the days between contracts and the admin. Many contractors bill 160 to 200 days a year.
Worth draws those days as tiles so you can see what you're pricing. Change the billable share and watch the gold days turn green.
Questions
How do I calculate my freelance hourly rate?
Add up what you want to keep in a year, the tax on it, and your business costs. Add a buffer for slow months. Divide by the hours a client actually pays for: working days × hours a day × the share you can bill.
How many hours can a freelancer bill?
Most bill 50 to 70% of their working time, because finding work, admin and invoicing take the rest. After holidays and sick days that's usually 1,000 to 1,300 hours a year.
How do I work out a day rate?
Your hourly rate × the hours in your working day. Worth shows both. Contractors often round the day rate up to a clean number.
Should I charge hourly or per project?
Hourly when the scope is unclear, per project when it's clear. Price a project from the same rate: hours you expect × your rate, plus a margin for revisions.
What is a break-even rate?
The rate that covers your take-home, tax and costs with nothing left for slow months. Quote above it; Worth's buffer is the gap.