What rate must you charge to match your salary?
Going freelance? The honest floor is higher than salary divided by 2,080. Self-employment tax, lost benefits, and billing fewer than 2,080 hours all push it up. Here's the real number.
In short
Updated for tax year 2026 · June 2026To match a salary as a freelancer, you have to bill far more than salary divided by 2,080. You pay both halves of FICA through self-employment tax, you cover the benefits an employer used to fund, and you bill far fewer than 2,080 hours a year. The real rate floor sits well above the naive number.
Common questions
How much should I charge as a freelancer to match my salary?⌄
More than salary divided by 2,080. You owe self-employment tax, which is both halves of FICA, you replace your old benefits out of pocket, and you bill fewer hours than a full work year. The rate that matches your old take-home is the honest target.
Why is self-employment tax higher than payroll tax?⌄
As an employee you pay one half of Social Security and Medicare and your employer pays the other. As a freelancer you pay both halves yourself, about 15.3 percent on net earnings, against roughly 7.65 percent as an employee.
Does the 20 percent QBI deduction lower my rate?⌄
It can, if you qualify. We default the headline to the safe floor that assumes no QBI, then show the lower figure if you're eligible. Underpricing is the costlier mistake, so we lead with the higher number.
Built and reviewed by the EverydayBudd editorial team. Every figure on this page is reproduced in automated tests against published IRS data before it ships, and the tax figures use 2026 brackets and limits.