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About UI/UX Designer rates
UX and UI projects include research, workshops, wireframes, prototypes and handoff, and each stage can overrun. Using a calculated hourly rate keeps estimates honest across all of them.
Quote by phase (research, design and handoff) and estimate the hours for each using your hourly rate.
Expenses to include
- Design and prototyping tool subscriptions
- User research and testing tools or participant incentives
- A computer, tablet and second screen
- Icon, font and design-system licences
- Courses and community memberships
Add these up for a full year and enter the total in "Yearly expenses".
How the rate is calculated
- Revenue needed = take-home ÷ (1 − tax rate) + expenses
- Billable hours per year = hours per week × (52 − weeks off)
- Hourly rate = revenue needed ÷ billable hours per year
This is a planning estimate, not tax advice. Tax rules differ by country, so check with a local accountant for exact figures.
Frequently asked questions
How should a UI/UX designer set an hourly rate?
Add tool and research costs to the income you want to keep, then divide by the hours you can bill. Workshops, stakeholder meetings and feedback cycles take a large share of the week, so count them.
Should a UI/UX designer charge hourly or per project?
Phase-based fixed prices work well for UX since each stage has clear deliverables. Use your hourly rate to price each phase and set limits on revisions and workshops.
How many hours per week can a UI/UX designer realistically bill?
Workshops, meetings and feedback take plenty of time, so 22 to 28 billable hours is a reasonable planning range. Start with 25 and check it against your tracked time.