Free freelance retainer calculator

Price a retainer, don't pick a round number

Most retainers are priced by gut: "let's say $2,000 a month." That number is invisible math waiting to go wrong. If you've committed twenty-five hours and your rate is $90, you've quietly agreed to $80 an hour and absorbed every extra request. A retainer should start from the same place every price does — your hours and your rate — then add an explicit premium for the thing the client is really buying: guaranteed availability.

This calculator builds the number up properly. Enter the hours you include each month, your standard hourly rate, and an adjustment percentage — positive for an availability premium, negative if you're trading a discount for guaranteed monthly volume. It returns the monthly retainer, the effective hourly inside it, the annual value, and an overage rate for hours beyond the cap, plus an honest comparison against plain ad-hoc billing.

What it works out

How to price a retainer in 3 steps

1. Estimate realistic monthly hours — include coordination, calls and admin, not just hands-on work.
2. Multiply by your sustainable rate and add a premium (commonly 10–25%) for reserved availability.
3. Set an hour cap and overage rate so extra work is billed clearly beyond the included hours.

From retainer to signed and paid

A retainer is only as solid as the paperwork around it. Set the rate behind it with the rate calculator, write the hour cap, overage rate and scope into a contract, send the recurring invoice each cycle, and track the hours against the cap with the time tracker so overage is caught early. All offline, one-time purchases, no subscription. Get all five in the $39 Freelance Tools Suite · also on Payhip.

Frequently asked questions

Is this retainer calculator free?

Yes, completely. It runs in your browser with no account and nothing uploaded. There is no paid version of the calculator itself.

How do I calculate a monthly retainer fee?

Estimate realistic monthly hours, multiply by your sustainable hourly rate, add a 10–25% premium for guaranteed availability (or a discount for guaranteed volume), and set an hour cap with an overage rate.

Should a retainer cost more or less than hourly?

It depends what you're trading. A premium charges more for reserved capacity; a discount charges less for predictable volume. The tool models either.

What is an overage rate?

The hourly you charge for work beyond the included hours. Setting it in the agreement protects you from scope creep.

Is my data private?

Completely. Zero network requests — your rates and hours stay on your computer.

More free tools for freelancers

Part of a set of offline, no-subscription tools that cover the whole freelance workflow: