Thinking about raising your rate but afraid of losing clients? Do the math first. Enter what you charge now and how much you want to raise, and this tool shows the exact share of clients (or billable hours) you can afford to lose and still match today's income — plus what you earn if they stay.
| Current monthly revenue | — |
| Break-even retention (keep at least) | — |
| Hours you can afford to lose | — |
| Projected revenue at your expected retention | — |
| Monthly change | — |
| Annual change | — |
| Billable hours freed up | — |
This tool does math on the numbers you enter. It is not financial advice. Real clients are not interchangeable hours — treat the break-even line as a guardrail, not a guarantee, and consider which specific clients you would keep.
Most freelancers undercharge for years because they fear that raising rates will cost them clients. The math is reassuring: when you raise your rate by a given percentage, you only need to keep 1 / (1 + increase) of your work to earn exactly what you earn today. Raise 25% and you can lose a fifth of your hours and break even; raise 20% and you can lose about a sixth. Every client who stays above that line is a genuine raise — and every client who leaves frees time for better-paying work. Use the field above to enter the retention you realistically expect and see whether the increase still comes out ahead.
After a rate increase of X percent, you break even when you keep 1 / (1 + X) of your billable hours. A 25% raise lets you lose up to 20% of your hours and still match today's income; a 20% raise lets you lose about 16.7%. Above that line is a raise; below it is a pay cut.
There is no single right number, but if you would still come out ahead even after losing the clients you expect to lose, the increase is safe to try. If almost nobody would leave at your proposed increase, your rate is probably still too low.
Yes. If some clients leave, you bill fewer hours for the same or higher income, freeing capacity for better work or rest. This tool shows the hours freed at your expected retention so you can value that time, not just the dollars.