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Self-employed · Calculate and plan

What rate should you charge as a self-employed person in 2026?

Updated on

Calculate my rate

To keep €3,000 net a month in 2026, a single self-employed person as a main occupation must invoice about €73,558 excluding VAT over the year with €6,000 of expenses: €446 a day over 165 billed days, or €55.73 an hour. With 21% VAT, your client pays €539 a day.

The rate must cover far more than your net income: tax, social security contributions, your fund’s fees, your professional expenses and all the days you do not invoice.

€446per billed day, excluding VAT, for €3,000 net a month
€55.73per billed hour, excluding VAT
165 daysbilled over the year: 47 weeks of 5 days, minus 15 days, of which 75% billed

The rate by the net income you are aiming for

Single self-employed person as a main occupation, €6,000 of professional expenses a year, 165 billed days of 8 hours, fund fees of 3.5%, municipal tax of 7%.

Net per monthProfit needed per yearTurnover per yearDay rateHourly rate
€2,000€38,690€44,921€272€34.03
€2,500€52,634€58,948€357€44.66
€3,000€67,158€73,558€446€55.73
€3,500€82,707€89,199€541€67.57
€4,000€97,842€104,412€633€79.10
€5,000€127,303€134,001€812€101.52
Minimum rate excluding VAT in 2026. Profit: before social security contributions. Indexo calculation using the engine’s reverse calculation (net to profit).

The same net of €3,000, depending on your situation

SituationTurnover per yearDay rateHourly rateDay rate including VAT
Single€73,558€446€55.73€539
Couple, single income€59,858€363€45.35€439
Single, two dependent children€69,293€420€52.49€508
Single, €12,000 of expenses a year€79,558€482€60.27€583
Single, 4 working days a week€73,558€567€70.87€686
Same assumptions, except where stated. Family situation changes the tax; higher expenses and fewer working days increase the rate needed.

How Indexo calculates your rate

  1. From net to profit.

    The engine’s reverse calculation looks for the annual profit that, after social security contributions and tax, leaves the net income you are aiming for.

  2. From profit to turnover.

    We add your professional expenses and your fund’s management fee.

  3. From turnover to rate.

    We divide by your billed days: working weeks, minus public holidays, sickness and training, multiplied by the share of time you actually bill.

  4. VAT.

    If you are VAT-registered, you add 21% to the rate and pay it over to the State: it is not income.

The billable days trap

A year has 52 weeks, but you never bill 52. With 5 weeks of holiday and 15 days of public holidays, sickness or training, you are left with 220 working days. If a quarter of that time goes on prospecting, quotes, admin and bookkeeping, only 165 billed days remain. A rate calculated on 220 days would be a quarter too low.

VAT: 21% or exemption scheme?

In principle, you charge VAT, at the standard rate of 21% for most services, and you recover the VAT on your purchases. If your annual turnover stays below €25,000 excluding VAT, the small business exemption scheme means you do not have to charge VAT: your invoices carry the statement ‘Régime particulier de franchise des petites entreprises’. In return, you do not recover VAT on your purchases. The scheme is mainly worthwhile if your clients are private individuals, who do not recover VAT.

Calculate my rate

Enter the net income you want to keep, your expenses and your billable time: Indexo calculates the turnover needed, your day rate and your hourly rate, with or without VAT. Nothing is sent: everything is calculated in your browser.

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Frequently asked questions

Do I need to charge VAT?

Yes, usually: 21% for most services. Below €25,000 of annual turnover excluding VAT, you can opt for the small business exemption scheme and invoice without VAT, but you then no longer recover the VAT on your purchases.

How many days a year should you bill?

Start from your working weeks, take off your holidays, public holidays, sickness and training, then keep only the share of time spent with clients. With this page’s assumptions: 165 days. Many self-employed people overestimate this number at first.

Why is my hourly rate so much higher than an hourly wage?

Because it has to pay what an employer pays for an employee, plus your expenses and your days without clients. A single white-collar worker who receives €3,000 net a month costs their employer about €6,103 a month, or €37.06 per paid hour. For the same net pay, the self-employed person must invoice €55.73 an hour on their billed hours alone.

Does a first-time self-employed person (starter) pay less?

The minimum contribution is lower for the first four quarters. But as soon as your income exceeds the minimum, you pay 20.5% like other self-employed people: the difference only matters for small incomes.

What next?

Sources

Parameters in force on 1 October 2026. Each parameter links to its source, the official one where it exists; a secondary source is flagged as such.