Day Rate ↔ Hourly Rate
Switch between hourly and day-rate pricing instantly, with weekly and monthly projections.
Hourly vs. day rate - which should you quote?
Day rates are common for consulting and on-site work where a client books your full focus for the day, regardless of exact hours logged. They simplify invoicing but carry the same scope-creep risk as any fixed structure if "a day" quietly stretches longer. This converter assumes a constant hours-per-day input - for a full risk-adjusted profitability view of a real project, run it through the main rate calculator.
When a day rate beats an hourly rate
Day rates suit work where a client books your attention rather than your output: on-site consulting, workshops, production days, embedded contract work. They simplify invoicing, they stop clients auditing individual hours, and they signal a different kind of engagement - you are not staffing, you are showing up to solve something.
They are a poor fit for open-ended work delivered asynchronously, and a bad fit for anything where "a day" is likely to be interpreted generously by the person paying for it.
Define what a day actually means
This is where day-rate pricing goes wrong. Without a written definition, "a day" expands. The version that holds up in practice specifies:
- How many hours a day is - commonly 7 or 8, stated explicitly.
- What happens past that - overtime billed pro-rata, or the day ends.
- Whether travel counts - travel days are commonly billed at 50%, and travel time within a working day counts as working time.
- Half-day policy - a half day is usually 60-70% of a full day, not 50%, because a half day still consumes the surrounding logistics.
- Minimum booking - a one-day minimum prevents a full day being fragmented into unbillable pieces.
- Cancellation terms - a booked day that is cancelled at short notice cannot be resold, and should be charged.
Converting properly between hourly and daily
Multiplying your hourly rate by eight is the obvious conversion and usually the wrong one. A day rate carries commitments an hourly arrangement does not - you have blocked a whole day, turned down other work for it, and cannot easily backfill if the client's plans move.
naive: day rate = hourly × hours per day
better: day rate = hourly × hours per day × commitment factor
commitment factor ≈ 1.0 flexible, remote, easily rescheduled
1.1 fixed date, remote
1.25 on-site, fixed date, travel involved
Working the other way - a client offers a day rate and you want to know what it is worth - divide by the hours you realistically expect to spend, not the hours in the contract. A $700 day that runs to ten hours is $70/hour, not $87.50.
Sanity-check the annual picture
Day rates look generous in isolation and depend entirely on how many days you actually sell. A $900 day rate sounds excellent until it turns out to be 90 billable days a year.
annual billings = day rate × billable days per year
250 working days in a year (approx)
−30 holiday, sick, public holidays
−60 sales, admin, proposals, unbilled work
────
160 realistically billable days
Most independent consultants sell between 120 and 180 days a year. Model your rate against that rather than against 250, and compare the result with the benchmarks for your profession. For a fuller picture including tax and overhead, use the full rate calculator, or read how to set your freelance day rate.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my day rate from my hourly rate?
Multiply your hourly rate by the number of billable hours in a day - commonly 7 or 8 - then add a premium of 10-25% where the booking is on a fixed date, on-site, or involves travel, because you have blocked the whole day and turned down alternatives for it.
How many hours is a freelance day rate?
Usually 7 or 8 hours, but it must be stated in writing. An undefined "day" reliably stretches. Specify the hours, what happens beyond them, and whether travel time counts, before the first booking rather than during the third.
Should I charge half days?
Only with a defined rate, typically 60-70% of a full day rather than 50%. A half day still consumes preparation, travel, and context-switching, and it often blocks the rest of the day from being sold to anyone else.
How many billable days can a freelancer expect per year?
Most independent consultants bill 120-180 days a year out of roughly 250 working days. The gap goes to holiday, sick days, business development, admin, and gaps between contracts. Modelling a day rate against 250 days is the most common way consultants overestimate their annual income.