How much should I charge per hour as an autónomo?

Divide what you need to invoice a year by the hours you actually invoice. With 30 billable hours a week, 5 weeks without invoicing and 14 bank holidays you get 1.326 hours a year: to take home €2,000, about 26,13 € an hour.

Is the 15% withholding the income tax I pay?

No. It is an advance your client pays to the Tax Agency in your name. Your final income tax comes from the progressive scale in your annual return, and the withholding is deducted from it. In your first year and the next two you can apply 7%.

Do I have to add VAT to what I invoice?

The calculator figure is the net amount, excluding VAT. You charge VAT (21% general rate) to your client and pay it in every quarter with form 303: it is not yours.

How much are self-employed contributions in 2026?

On the minimum base, between 205,88 € and 607,35 € a month depending on your income, or 88,64 € with the first-year reduced contribution, which can be extended for twelve more months if your income stays below the minimum wage.

Calculator for the self-employed · 2026

How much do I need to invoice as an autónomo to earn what I want?

Enter what you want left each month and we tell you how much to invoice, with self-employed contributions by band, income tax, VAT and your hourly rate.

Free, no sign-up
Official 2026 bands
Your figures, instantly

Calculator · Self-employed 2026

I want to earn per month

€ / month

What you want left, after tax and contributions.

Business expenses per month

€ / month

Rent, utilities, software, materials: what is deductible.

Your clients

They withhold 15 % of each invoice towards your income tax.

VAT on your invoices

You need to invoice3.187,70 €per month, excluding VAT38.252,40 € a year

What you keep63 %2.000,00 €
Estimated income tax14 %460,49 €
Self-employed contributions13 %427,21 €
Expenses9 %300,00 €

Your client pays3.857,12 €Net plus VAT

Reaches your account3.378,96 €After withholding

Set aside for tax669,42 €VAT and outstanding income tax

You contribute in the general table, band 7: minimum base of 1.356,21 € a month.See your contribution by band See your take-home pay

Estimate for a self-employed individual under the simplified direct method. It does not replace your adviser.

From invoice to pocket

Where every euro you invoice goes

One month of invoicing, step by step: what is not yours, what it costs to work and what you keep. The figures are the ones from your calculation.

You collect with VAT3.857,12 €

VAT to form 303− 669,42 €Not yours: you pay it in every quarter.

Your invoicing3.187,70 €

Expenses− 300,00 €

Contributions− 427,21 €

Income tax− 460,49 €478,16 € is already paid in by your client through withholding.

You keep2.000,00 €

How form 303 is filed 2026 tax calendar

Hourly rate

Your hourly rate as an autónomo

Not every week gets invoiced. Take off holidays and bank holidays and spread what you need to invoice a year across the hours you actually charge.

Billable hours per week: 30 h

Weeks without invoicing

Holidays, training, sick leave.

Weekday bank holidays

In Spain, up to 14 a year.

28,85 €per hour

173 €per billable day

47 of 52 weeks invoicing1.326 billable hours a year

Compare scenarios

What changes if you change one thing

Your calculation next to the most common alternatives. Tap one to load it into the calculator.

Your calculation38.252 € a year3.187,70 €a month

First yearReduced contribution and 7% withholding2.849,13 €a month− 338,57 €

€100 more a month2.100 € take-home3.353,29 €a month+ 165,59 €

Invoicing 11 monthsA whole month of holiday3.477,49 €a month+ 289,79 €

2026 table

How much to invoice to earn €1,000 to €5,000 a month take-home

No expenses, outside the first year and contributing on the minimum base of each band. Tap a row to see its full breakdown.

Invoice per month	Per year	Contribution	Income tax a month	Contributions + tax
1.416,96 €	17.004 €	302,65 €general · band 2	114,31 €	29,4 %
2.142,86 €	25.714 €	380,88 €general · band 5	261,98 €	30 %
2.887,70 €	34.652 €	427,21 €general · band 7	460,49 €	30,7 %
3.645,86 €	43.750 €	478,68 €general · band 9	667,18 €	31,4 %
4.501,54 €	54.018 €	545,59 €general · band 11	955,95 €	33,4 %
5.295,19 €	63.542 €	545,59 €general · band 11	1.249,60 €	33,9 %
6.143,62 €	73.723 €	545,59 €general · band 11	1.598,03 €	34,9 %
8.023,56 €	96.283 €	607,35 €general · band 12	2.416,21 €	37,7 %

The method

How it is calculated and where each figure comes from

Invoicing = what you keep + expenses + contributions + income tax

The contribution comes from monthly income (invoicing minus expenses) with the general 7% deduction, paying on the minimum base of its band.
Income tax follows the simplified direct method: 5% hard-to-justify expenses (up to €2,000 a year) and the €5,550 personal allowance, with the general reference scale.
It does not include your region, personal deductions or other income: that is why it is an estimate.
Withholding does not change what you pay: it is an advance on income tax deducted in your annual return.

Official sources

Figures in force in 2026 · reviewed on 22 September 2026

This is an indicative estimate, not tax advice: use it to set your rate sensibly, not to file your taxes.

Frequently asked questions

What people ask when working out how much to invoice

About 2.887,70 € a month excluding VAT (34.652 € a year) with no expenses, outside the first year and contributing on the minimum base of your band. Every euro of deductible expenses is added to that figure.