# Freelance rate & project quote calculators

> Calculate a sustainable per-unit floor from your own annual business model, then build a transparent project estimate from your chosen rate and scope.

Published: 2026-08-19. Updated: 2026-08-20. Last verified: 2026-08-20. Review interval: 90 days. Disclosure: none.

## Calculator 1: your sustainable floor

The result is the average revenue needed per billable unit under your assumptions. It is not a market rate, a tax calculation, or a recommendation. Use realistic annual totals and remember that changing any assumption changes the result.

The structure follows the same business inputs used by the ProZ calculator: annual costs, desired personal income, working time, billable share, productivity, and time off. Sources: [ProZ.com rate calculator](https://www.proz.com/?rc_ver=new&sp=rate_calc).

## Calculator 2: a client-ready project estimate

Use a base rate you selected independently. The calculator makes quantity, scope and turnaround factors, review, project management, minimum fee, and pass-through costs visible instead of hiding them inside one number.

```
adjusted unit rate = base rate × scope factor × turnaround factor
service subtotal = adjusted unit rate × quantity
project management = (service subtotal + review) × PM percentage
total = max(minimum fee, service + review + PM + pass-through costs)
```

## How to use the two results together

- Run the annual model with conservative billable utilization and productivity
- Research the specific language pair, client segment, service, and unit
- Choose your base rate independently
- Inspect the actual source and enter project-specific scope
- Export or copy the estimate into the quote template
- After delivery, compare estimated and actual time to improve the next quote

## What this deliberately does not do

- No tax or take-home-income calculation
- No live exchange rates
- No default market price
- No language-pair multiplier
- No competitor coordination
- No storage, account, tracking, or network request

## Frequently asked questions

### Is the calculated floor the rate I should quote?

Not automatically. It is the minimum average revenue per unit implied by your inputs. Your quote also depends on market, expertise, client terms, risk, scope, positioning, and whether the assumptions are realistic.

### What belongs in annual business costs?

Include costs your business must recover: software, equipment, workspace, professional services, insurance, training, memberships, marketing, unpaid administration, and locally applicable employer-side or business obligations. Get tax or accounting advice for your situation.

### Why is billable share separate from hours worked?

Freelancers spend time on quoting, communication, bookkeeping, maintenance, training, sales, and other work that cannot be billed directly to a project. Treating every working hour as billable understates the required rate.

### Does Admas receive or save my calculator inputs?

No. The calculation runs locally in your browser, and the page does not submit or store the values.

## Methodology

Admas uses official professional-association, platform, buyer, and delivery documentation to explain pricing structure without publishing a tariff. Examples are arithmetic illustrations, not market recommendations. Every freelancer and supplier must set prices independently for their costs, capacity, expertise, market, risk, and local rules.

## Source register

- [Antitrust Compliance Policy](https://www.atanet.org/about-us/policies/antitrust-compliance-policy/) — American Translators Association; verified 2026-08-20.
- [Spotlight on Trade Associations](https://www.ftc.gov/advice-guidance/competition-guidance/guide-antitrust-laws/dealings-competitors/spotlight-trade-associations) — U.S. Federal Trade Commission; verified 2026-08-20.
- [ProZ.com rate calculator](https://www.proz.com/?rc_ver=new&sp=rate_calc) — ProZ.com; verified 2026-08-20.
- [Determining your rates and fees as a translator](https://www.proz.com/wiki/index.php/Determining_your_rates_and_fees_as_a_translator) — ProZ.com Wiki; verified 2026-08-20.
- [ProZ.com rates FAQ](https://www.proz.com/faq/profiles.html) — ProZ.com; verified 2026-08-20.