A baseline rate can be calculated from income targets, costs, realistic billable hours and a buffer for downtime.
Pricing still involves judgment, but a numerical floor removes one common source of confusion. Start with the monthly income you need, add operating costs, then add a buffer for downtime, taxes and non-billable work.
Sales, administration, revisions, learning and prospecting consume hours that cannot all be invoiced. If you plan around forty billable hours every week, your baseline rate may be unrealistically low.
Value, urgency, risk and complexity can justify higher project pricing. The calculated rate is not a universal market rate; it is a personal sustainability check.