Freelance Capacity Utilization Calculator

Check how much of your available working hours are already committed to clients, and how much capacity remains for new work.

Total Available Hours per Week

What the percentage measures

Every client row is added up and compared with the one number at the top of the page:

committed   = sum of all client hours per week
utilization = committed ÷ available × 100
remaining   = available - committed

The two starter rows hold 15 and 10 hours against 40 available, so utilization reads 62.5% and 15 hours a week are free. A row left unnamed is listed as Client 1, Client 2 and so on. When the total exceeds what you have, the last row flips to Over Capacity By and the badge turns red.

The number in the available box decides everything

Put saleable hours there, not desk hours. Typing 40 claims every hour of your week can be invoiced. Pitching, invoicing, chasing payment and bookkeeping come out of the same week, which is why many freelancers can sell only 25 to 30 hours of it.
Or model the business as a client. Leave 40 in the box and add a row called Admin, so unpaid work is visible rather than hidden.
The colours are a deliberate warning. Above 85% the badge turns amber because nothing is left for a sick day or a project that overruns. Running at 100% is a booking, not an achievement.

These are hours, not income. Twenty-five committed hours a week across 48 working weeks is 1,200 billable hours a year - multiply by your rate to see what the schedule is worth before tax.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good utilization rate for a freelancer?

High enough to pay the bills, low enough to keep selling. This tool flags anything over 85% as amber and over 100% as over capacity, because a fully booked week leaves no room for the pipeline work that keeps the next one full.

How do I count admin and unpaid time?

Either drop it out of the available hours - 40 becomes 30 - or add it as a client row named Admin. Do one or the other, not both.

Can I plan a month or a project instead of a week?

Yes, as long as every figure uses the same period. Put your monthly available hours at the top and monthly commitments in the rows; the labels still say per week, but the arithmetic does not care.