Rate and day fee calculator
Working out what to charge can be difficult, particularly when a fee only seems to cover the time you're visible in the room.
Freelance work can also include preparation, meetings, travel, admin and other costs, as well as all the time you aren't able to bill directly.
These two simple calculators help you look at your rate from both directions: what is this job really paying me? and what day rate might I need to make freelancing sustainable?
BEFORE YOU USE THE CALCULATORS
Your figures stay private. The figures you enter are processed only in your browser to produce your results. The calculator does not save them or send them to FMTW.
Figures are shown before personal tax. These calculators are designed to help you think about freelance fees. They do not provide financial, tax or legal advice, and your circumstances or a relevant industry agreement may change what you need to consider.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
A freelance rate is not the same as employed pay
£20 an hour for genuinely self-employed work is not directly comparable with £20 an hour as an employee.
Employees and workers may have rights such as paid holiday, while an employer may also contribute towards a workplace pension. A genuinely self-employed freelancer usually has to build the wider cost of sustaining their work into the fees they charge.
Depending on your work and circumstances, your freelance fee may need to contribute towards:
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holiday, sickness and rest time;
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pension saving and a financial buffer;
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insurance, tools, equipment, software, professional memberships and training;
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unpaid preparation, meetings, admin, finding work and travel; and
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gaps between jobs, cancellations, late payments and invoices that are never recovered.
There is no single percentage that every freelancer should add to an employed rate. Use the calculators to understand your own time and costs, then check any relevant union agreement, collective agreement or current industry ratecard.
This comparison only applies where the work is genuinely self-employed. Being described as “freelance” or being asked to send an invoice does not remove employment rights if the actual working arrangement makes you an employee or worker.
Choose the question you want to answer
You can use either calculator on its own. Figures are shown before personal tax.
What is this job really paying me?
Look beyond the headline fee by including the time and costs that sit around the work.
Your estimate
This effective hourly rate is a comparison tool. It helps reveal the time and direct costs behind the headline fee, but it is not a recommended or minimum industry rate.
What day rate do I need?
Work backwards from the income you want your freelance work to generate and the number of days you can realistically bill.
Your estimate
This is a planning figure, not a recommended or minimum industry rate. Check any union agreement, collective agreement or current ratecard that applies to your role before agreeing a fee.
Before you use the figures
This calculator is designed to help you think about freelance fees. It does not calculate personal tax and it is not financial, tax or legal advice. Your circumstances, the type of work and any relevant industry agreement may change what you need to consider.
Understanding your result
These figures are a way to look underneath the headline fee. They are not a verdict on what you should charge or whether you should accept a job.
Instead, use them to spot the time and costs that can easily disappear when you're thinking about a fee.
Look beyond the headline fee
A fee can look very different once you include preparation, meetings, admin, travel and other time the job requires.
Your effective hourly rate helps make that hidden time visible. If the number surprises you, that's useful information to have before agreeing to the work.
"Fee left" isn't take-home pay
This figure takes account of any commission and unreimbursed job costs you've entered, but it is still before personal tax.
Think of it as a clearer picture of what the job contributes to your freelance income, rather than the amount that will eventually arrive in your pocket.
Your day rate is a starting point
The second calculator works backwards from the income, costs and safety net you've entered, and the number of days you realistically expect to be able to bill.
It isn't a recommended rate or an industry minimum. It's a starting point for understanding what your freelance work may need to generate.
IF THE RESULT FEELS TOO LOW
A low result doesn't automatically tell you whether to accept or turn down the work. But it can give you some useful questions to ask:
- Is there room to negotiate the fee?
- Are there expenses or costs the organisation could cover?
- Is all the preparation, meeting or travel time really unpaid?
- Could the scope or amount of unpaid work be reduced?
- Is your role covered by an industry agreement, minimum rate or recommended rate?
And remember: your calculated rate and the industry rate are not necessarily the same thing. That's why it's worth checking the relevant rates and agreements before agreeing a fee.
Check industry minimums and ratecards
Your calculator result tells you what the work looks like for you. Your next check is whether your role is covered by a collective agreement, minimum rate or recommended industry rate.
These aren't all the same thing. A collectively agreed minimum may apply when your engagement falls under a particular agreement. A recommended rate or ratecard gives you an industry benchmark to help you judge and negotiate an offer.
Either way, don't assume the first fee you're offered is simply "the rate". Check what applies to your role and the type of organisation or production engaging you.
REMEMBER: a minimum isn't a maximum
If a minimum rate applies to your engagement, that does not mean it is the most you can be paid. Minimum rates establish a floor. You or your representative can still negotiate above them.
Equity
For performers, stage managers, directors, choreographers, dancers, singers and theatre designers, among other entertainment professionals.
Equity publishes negotiated agreements, minimum rates and recommended rates across theatre and other areas of the entertainment industry.
Bectu
For many technical, backstage, production and live events roles.
Bectu's ratecards and agreements cover areas including theatre, touring, live events, lighting, sound, production and other technical disciplines. Some are collectively agreed minimums and others are recommended freelance rates.
Musicians' Union
For musicians, performers and composers working in theatre and live performance.
The MU negotiates minimum terms and conditions with major UK theatres and also publishes recommended rates for other kinds of live engagement.
Writers' Guild of Great Britain
For playwrights and other writers working across theatre and the wider creative industries.
WGGB publishes minimum terms agreements and rate information, including agreements covering theatre writers.
SOLT / UK Theatre
Particularly useful for checking agreements and minimum rates across West End, commercial and subsidised theatre.
The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) and UK Theatre negotiate collective agreements with unions including Equity, Bectu and the Musicians' Union. Their employment relations pages bring together rates and agreements covering a wide range of theatre roles and types of production.
Independent Theatre Council (ITC)
Particularly useful if you're working with independent performing arts organisations.
ITC publishes negotiated minimum rates covering a range of roles, including performers, stage managers, directors, designers, choreographers, freelance producers and writers.
Related Freelancing 101 resources
Working out what a job really pays is only part of the picture. These resources can help you check the wider offer, understand how you're being engaged and make sure you're ready to get paid.
Before you accept: twelve questions
A practical checklist to help you assess an opportunity before agreeing to the work.
How is this job engaging you?
Employee, worker, self-employed or working through a company? Understand what the organisation is actually asking you to be.
Invoice template and checklist
Once you've done the work, make getting paid easier with our simple invoice template and checklist.
Last reviewed: September 2026
Links and guidance can change. Check the date and scope of any external information before relying on it.