flintery
Day Rate Calculator

Calculate Your Day Rate — Free Calculator for Photographers, Videographers & Creatives

Your day rate is the foundation for every calculation. Enter your numbers and find out in seconds what you need to earn per day and hour — with a transparent breakdown of all items.

Free & no signup requiredFor photographers, videographers & creatorsProfessional gross-up formula

What best describes you?

Tell us what you do. Your personal calculator opens right after.

How the calculation works

Many calculators simply divide a target income by working days. That sounds logical but ignores taxes, operating costs, and reserves — resulting in a day rate you can't actually live on.

This calculator works differently: it starts with your target net income and works backwards. First, taxes and social contributions are added. Then operating costs. Then a reserve buffer. The result is the annual revenue you actually need to generate. Divided by your productive days — only the days you do billable work — you get your minimum day rate.

The key point: billable days are not working days. Pitching, bookkeeping, professional development, social media, client communication — all of that takes time but doesn't generate direct income. Most photographers and videographers realistically have 100 to 150 billable days per year. Adjust the value to your reality.

More on the formula, with a worked example and the most common calculation mistakes: How to Calculate Your Day Rate as a Photographer

Why your day rate is more than a number

Your day rate isn't a price tag — it's a calculation tool. Professional creatives don't quote clients a day rate; they quote a project price. The day rate is the foundation: time multiplied by day rate, plus usage rights for commercial work, plus project-specific costs.

Usage rights in particular are often forgotten or underestimated. When a client uses your images for their website, social media, and print advertising, that has value — regardless of how long the shoot took. Without usage rights, you're giving away a significant part of the project's value.

The calculator above gives you the foundation. What you build on it — the step from day rate to project price — determines your income.

Frequently asked questions about day rates

Why does the calculator show a higher day rate than I expected?▾
Because the gross-up formula accounts for items that a simple division misses: taxes on profit, operating costs, and a reserve buffer. Many creatives only divide their target income by days — and wonder at the end of the year why the numbers don't add up. The calculator shows you what you actually need, not what you want to hear.
What tax rate should I enter?▾
The combined rate of income tax, solidarity surcharge, church tax (if applicable), and social contributions (health insurance, pension). For most self-employed people in Germany, this total falls between 30 and 42 percent. If you're unsure, start with 35 percent as an approximation and adjust once you know your actual rate. A tax advisor can give you the exact figure.
What counts as operating costs?▾
Everything you need to do your job: equipment and its depreciation, software licences, insurance, office rent or coworking, travel costs, marketing, professional development, phone, and internet. The calculator works with a lump sum. In flintery, you can record these costs item by item — that's more precise and shows you where your money actually goes.
Day rate or hourly rate — which should I use?▾
The day rate works better as a calculation basis because most creative projects are planned in days, not hours. The hourly rate (day rate divided by eight) is useful when you need to estimate partial assignments or individual hours. Both are internal tools. You communicate a project price to your client.
Can I also use the calculator as a videographer or UGC creator?▾
Yes. The core formula — from target net income to minimum day rate — is industry-agnostic. Your operating costs and productive days will differ, but the logic stays the same. In flintery, there are also industry-specific calculations for photography, video, and UGC.