Is a 60-70% billable ratio bad?

It is normal. Solo freelancers doing their own sales, admin, and books rarely sustain more. Ratios above 80% usually mean underinvesting in pipeline, which shows up as a dry spell two months later.

How do I raise my billable ratio?

Cheapest wins first: invoice templates and automation, batching admin to one afternoon, retainers replacing proposal churn, and firing the clients who consume disproportionate unbilled time.

Why does this number matter so much?

Because every income target divides by it. At $100k target, 1,900 assumed hours prices you at $53 while 1,200 real hours prices you at $83. Getting this wrong underprices everything you sell.

Calculators

Billable hours calculator

The 2,080-hour work year is fiction for freelancers. Between time off and the third of your week that goes to admin, sales, and email, most sell 1,100-1,300 hours. Every rate you quote silently depends on this number; compute it honestly.

Your numbers

Hours worked per day

All work, billable or not.

Working days per week

Real ones.

Weeks off per year

Vacation, sick, holidays, conferences, dead weeks between projects.

Time lost to non-billable work

Admin, proposals, sales calls, email, bookkeeping. 30-40% is typical for solo freelancers.

What the ledger says

Billable hours per year1,196hours

Billable hours per working week: 26
Total worked hours per year: 1,840
Lost to non-billable work: 644
Billable ratio: 65%

Estimate, not advice

The formula

Worked = hours × days × (52 − weeks off). Billable = worked × (1 − admin share). The gap between 2,080 and this number is why freelance rates must exceed salary math.

What this ignores

Seasonality (dry months cluster), ramp-up on new clients, and unpaid revisions. Treat the output as a ceiling for capacity planning and quote rates against something slightly lower.

Field notes

Is a 60-70% billable ratio bad?: It is normal. Solo freelancers doing their own sales, admin, and books rarely sustain more. Ratios above 80% usually mean underinvesting in pipeline, which shows up as a dry spell two months later.
How do I raise my billable ratio?: Cheapest wins first: invoice templates and automation, batching admin to one afternoon, retainers replacing proposal churn, and firing the clients who consume disproportionate unbilled time.
Why does this number matter so much?: Because every income target divides by it. At $100k target, 1,900 assumed hours prices you at $53 while 1,200 real hours prices you at $83. Getting this wrong underprices everything you sell.