You actually receive
$438.00
- Total lost to fees and conversion
- $62.00 (12.4%)
- Platform fee
- $50.00
- Currency conversion margin
- $9.00
- Withdrawal fees
- $3.00
- After your tax set-aside
- $372.30
- Quote needed to receive your target
- $570.29
- Charge this to end up with $500.00 in your account after all the deductions above.
This calculator produces estimates from the numbers you enter, so it is only as accurate as your inputs. It is not tax, accounting or legal advice. Rules and fees differ by country and change over time; check the current terms that apply to you.
The short answer
Take the project amount, remove the platform's cut, then remove the currency conversion margin and any withdrawal fees. What is left is what you receive. To work backwards, divide the amount you want to receive by what survives each deduction. The calculator does both, using the fee figures you enter from the platform's current terms.
Worked example
These are the example values loaded into the calculator above, run through exactly the same formulas, so you can check the method against your own numbers.
| Inputs | |
|---|---|
| Project amount | $500.00 |
| Platform fee | 10% |
| Conversion margin | 2% |
| Flat withdrawal fee | $3.00 |
| Amount you want to receive | $500.00 |
| Results | |
|---|---|
| After platform fee | $450.00 |
| After conversion margin | $441.00 |
| You receive | $438.00 |
| Total lost to fees | $62.00 (12.4%) |
| Quote needed to receive your target | $570.29 |
Winning a job at a good price feels like the end of the work, but the amount that reaches your bank is smaller than the amount the client pays. A platform takes its cut. A currency conversion can take another slice. A withdrawal can cost a little more. Each deduction looks small, and together they can be a meaningful share of the job. This calculator adds them up, and reverses the calculation so you can quote with them already covered.
How to use this calculator
- Enter the project amount the client pays.
- Enter the platform fee as an effective percentage. Read the platform's current official fee page, because structures change and some use sliding scales.
- Enter a currency conversion margin if your payout is converted. Use zero if it is not.
- Enter any withdrawal fees, percentage and flat.
- Enter the amount you want to receive to see what to quote.
The calculator ships with example numbers, not real platform fees. We deliberately do not build in fee tables, because they go out of date. That keeps the result honest, but it means the accuracy of the answer depends on the figures you type in.
The formula
The deductions apply in sequence.
- After platform fee = project amount × (1 − platform fee)
- After conversion = after platform fee × (1 − conversion margin)
- After withdrawal percentage = after conversion × (1 − withdrawal percentage)
- You receive = after withdrawal percentage − flat withdrawal fee
To work backwards to a quote:
- Quote needed = (amount you want to receive + flat fee) ÷ [(1 − platform fee) × (1 − conversion margin) × (1 − withdrawal percentage)]
The calculator is tested so that quoting the "quote needed" figure lands exactly on your target.
How to read your result
The headline figure is what actually arrives. The breakdown shows where the rest went, split into platform, conversion and withdrawal costs. The percentage lost is the number to compare between routes.
Two things stand out for most people. First, the platform fee is usually the largest visible charge, but the conversion margin can be the largest hidden one when you are paid across currencies. Second, flat withdrawal fees hurt small payments far more than large ones. A fixed charge that is trivial on a large invoice can take a noticeable share of a small one, so it can be worth withdrawing less often.
Why the quote calculation matters
Many freelancers set a price they want to earn and then accept that the platform will take a cut from it. The better habit is to decide what you need to receive and quote so the deductions are already included. If the market will not pay that price on a particular platform, that is useful information: it may be cheaper to work with direct clients or through a lower-cost payout route.
Reducing what you lose
You cannot change a platform's fee, but you can influence the other layers. Being paid in a currency you can hold, then converting when you choose, may avoid an unfavourable automatic conversion. Comparing payout methods by what actually lands in your account, not by their headline fee, often reveals large differences. Our guides to getting paid internationally and online business tools explain the options and their trade-offs. For an overview of how each marketplace works, see our freelance platforms comparison and the individual Upwork and Fiverr guides.
Common mistakes
Using the wrong fee. Some platforms have tiers, so enter the effective rate for your situation.
Ignoring conversion. A payment "in your currency" may still be converted at a poor rate somewhere on the route.
Forgetting flat fees. They matter most on small payments.
Quoting the gross amount you want. Quote the amount that leaves you with your target after all deductions.
Mixing up who pays the fee. Some platforms charge the client separately. This calculator covers only what is taken from your side.
Assumptions and limits
The deductions are applied in the order shown, which matches how most payouts work but may differ for a particular provider. The after-tax figure uses a flat estimate and does not reflect real tax rules. The calculator does not fetch live exchange rates or fees. For pricing your time in the first place, use the freelance hourly rate calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How much do freelance platforms take?
It varies by platform, by your earnings level and sometimes by client, and platforms change their fee structures over time. That is why this calculator asks you to enter the effective percentage from the platform's current official fee page rather than assuming a figure. Always check the latest terms before pricing your work.
What is a currency conversion margin?
When a payment is converted from one currency to another, the provider often applies an exchange rate slightly worse than the mid-market rate. The difference is a hidden charge that does not appear as a fee line. Enter your estimate as a percentage, or zero if you are paid in the currency you withdraw.
How do I work out what to quote to receive a set amount?
Divide the amount you want to receive, plus any flat withdrawal fee, by what remains of each dollar after the percentage deductions: one minus the platform fee, times one minus the conversion margin, times one minus the withdrawal percentage. The calculator shows this as the quote needed.
Does this include tax?
It shows an after-tax figure using a flat set-aside you choose, as a rough guide. Fees and tax are separate, and how your income is taxed depends on where you live, so treat that line as an estimate.
How we keep this calculator accurate
The formulas on this page are standard arithmetic, written out in full above so you can check them. Each one is covered by automated tests that compare the calculator against independently worked examples and round-trip checks, and the worked example is generated by the same code as the calculator. We use no third-party data, exchange rates or fee tables, because those go stale; fees and rates are always numbers you enter. If you spot a mistake or an assumption that does not fit your situation, please tell us. Our earnings disclaimer and editorial approach explain how the site works.
Written by
The editorial team behind How To Make Money Online, responsible for researching, writing, and fact-checking every guide on this site against current platform terms and fees.