💰 Freelance Fee Calculator

How much should you charge to keep your target amount?

Use this reverse fee calculator for a USD project. Enter what you want to keep after the platform service fee, then compare the gross amounts. This is an illustrative fee model, not a quote from the platforms.

Example: keep $1,000 before tax and payout charges

Fiverr: $1,000 ÷ 0.80 = $1,250. At an example Upwork rate of 10%, $1,000 ÷ 0.90 rounds up to $1,111.12. The standard Freelancer.com fixed-price model also gives $1,111.12. These are different from a $1,000 client budget, which leaves $800 on Fiverr or $900 at a 10% fee.

Why adding 20% is not enough

Adding 20% to a $1,000 target gives $1,200, but Fiverr’s 20% deduction leaves only $960. Divide by the retained share instead: target ÷ (1 − fee rate). For Freelancer.com fixed-price projects, use the larger of target ÷ 0.90 and target + $5; this accounts for the minimum fee. A $10 target therefore needs $15 in that model.

Gross amounts round upward to the next cent. Fee deductions shown are estimates before platform-specific rounding. Taxes, payout charges, currency conversion, buyer fees, promotions, hourly-contract rules and client-acquisition costs are excluded. Use your actual Upwork contract percentage; 10% is an example. Check the official sources in this guide before quoting a client.

More reproducible examples and our review method · Compare a client’s existing budget