First mission as a freelancer, and the client asks at the very first meeting: what is your day rate? The reflex is to divide one’s former salary by the number of working days, or to copy a colleague’s figure. Both methods give a freelance TJM that is too low, because they forget contributions, costs and all the days that will never be billed.
This guide sets out the formula, counts the days that can really be billed from the 2026 calendar, details charges by status with the official rates, then walks through a complete example. It also shows how to go back from the TJM to net income, and what an invoice must state.
Key points at a glance:
- TJM, definition: the taux journalier moyen (average day rate) is the price of one working day billed to the client, stated excluding VAT.
- The formula: (target net income + social contributions + professional costs) ÷ number of billable days.
- A year does not have 365 billable days: weekends, 11 statutory public holidays, 5 weeks of leave and unbilled time cut the total sharply.
- Charges depend on the status: in 2026, a non-regulated liberal micro-entreprise pays 25.6% of its turnover, a BIC service activity 21.2%.
TJM: definition and meaning
Behind the acronym, the meaning of the TJM is simple: the average day rate is the amount billed for one day of work. Consultants, developers, designers or trainers use it to price a long mission, when the client buys time rather than a fixed deliverable. The TJM is always stated excluding VAT, since any VAT is added on the invoice.
It differs from the hourly rate, more common for short jobs, and from a fixed price, which sets an overall amount for a result. For the client, it is a budget benchmark; for the freelancer, it is the figure that must cover pay, social protection and the cost of the business at once. A well-built TJM is therefore a floor: below it, the mission costs more than it brings in.
The formula to calculate your TJM
To calculate your TJM, start from what you want to earn, not from what others charge. The formula fits on one line: TJM = (target annual net income + social contributions + professional costs) ÷ number of billable days in the year. The result is a price excluding VAT, to be rounded up.
How do you calculate your TJM without getting each term wrong? Target net income is the amount you want to keep before income tax. Contributions depend on the status and are calculated either on turnover or on pay. Costs cover everything the business consumes: equipment, software, insurance, accountant, travel. As for billable days, they are the real denominator, and that is often where calculations go wrong.
Some add a safety margin of a few percent to absorb an unpaid invoice or a rise in running costs; others prefer to count fewer days. The idea stays the same: the TJM must also fund the days worked but not paid. The legal status, for its part, mainly changes the social charges line, as the table below shows.
Worth remembering: the TJM that comes out of the formula is a minimum, not a target. The market, the specialism and the value brought to the client then decide how far this figure can rise.
How many billable days per year
Start from the 2026 calendar. It has 104 weekend days. Of the 11 statutory public holidays, 9 fall on a weekday this year, since Assumption Day is a Saturday and All Saints’ Day a Sunday. That leaves 252 working days. Taking off 5 weeks of leave, the equivalent of an employee’s paid holiday, gives about 227 possible working days. As a benchmark, an employee on a days-based contract (forfait jours) works at most 218 days a year, unless an agreement sets fewer.
Not all these days will be billed. Part of the time goes on essential but unpaid tasks:
Depending on the job and the usual length of missions, this invisible time adds up to several dozen days a year. Planning generously protects income: a calculation based on 180 billable days holds up better in a quiet quarter than one based on 220.
Charges and costs to include in the TJM
The TJM calculation turns mainly on social contributions, which vary widely from one status to another. In a micro-entreprise, they are proportional to the turnover collected, which makes the calculation direct. In an EURL or a SASU, they are based on the manager’s pay, and the company also pays tax on any profit. The rates below give an order of magnitude:
| Status | Basis | Social contributions |
|---|---|---|
| Micro-entreprise, BIC services | Turnover | 21.2% in 2026 |
| Micro-entreprise, non-regulated liberal profession | Turnover | 25.6% in 2026 |
| Micro-entreprise, liberal profession under the Cipav | Turnover | 23.2% in 2026 |
| EURL, self-employed manager | Pay | About 45% of net pay on average |
| SASU, president treated as an employee | Pay | About 78% of net salary |
The micro-entreprise rates are those published by the administration for 2026; the EURL and SASU figures are the averages given by Bpifrance Création, employee and employer contributions included for the SASU. For the EURL manager, the share falls to about 30% above one annual social security ceiling. Then come professional costs: computer, software, professional liability insurance, accountant, workspace, travel. On VAT, a service business stays under the franchise if its turnover did not exceed €37,500 in the previous year and does not exceed €41,250 in the current year. Above €41,250, VAT is due from the day the threshold is crossed and is then added to every invoice.
Freelance TJM calculation: a step-by-step example
Take an example of a freelance TJM calculation for a consultant in a micro-entreprise, in a non-regulated liberal profession. The income, cost and day figures are assumptions; the contribution rate is the 2026 one, excluding the 0.2% vocational training contribution on turnover.
She wants to keep €3,000 a month before income tax, that is €36,000 over the year.
Equipment, software, insurance, accountant and travel come to about €400 a month, that is €4,800 a year.
For a non-regulated liberal profession, contributions take 25.6% of turnover. To calculate the TJM, €40,800 is therefore divided by 0.744: about €54,840 of turnover is needed.
Out of about 227 possible working days, she plans 180 billed days, the rest going to prospecting, administration and gaps between missions.
€54,840 divided by 180 days gives about €305. She sets a TJM of €310 excluding VAT, below which a mission no longer covers her targets.
This turnover stays below the €83,600 ceiling that keeps a service business under the micro-entreprise scheme. It does, however, exceed the €41,250 threshold: once she crosses it, the consultant charges VAT on top of her €310 excluding VAT, without any change to her income.
From TJM to net pay
The reverse calculation helps assess an offer: what net salary does a proposed rate correspond to? Multiply the TJM by the number of billed days to get turnover, then deduct contributions, costs and tax. The same TJM as a salary does not give the same result depending on the status:
Comparing with a salaried job calls for the same care. An executive’s gross salary already includes paid leave, full social protection and no costs borne by the employee; for an equivalent income, a freelancer’s TJM therefore looks high without being so. Umbrella employment (portage salarial) follows yet another logic: the umbrella company turns turnover into salary, after its own fees.
Income tax then applies, depending on the household’s situation. In a micro-entreprise, the versement libératoire lets it be paid as you go, at 2.2% of turnover for a liberal activity and 1.7% for BIC services, if the household’s reference tax income stays within the set limits.
In short: to go from the TJM to income, multiply by the billed days, then deduct contributions, costs and tax. Two freelancers at the same rate can therefore keep very different amounts depending on their status.
Adjusting your TJM to the market
Once the floor is known, it has to face the market. A consultant’s TJM depends on several levers, which often weigh more than the formula:
Negotiation is prepared with two figures: a floor from the formula, below which the mission is not profitable, and a target rate that reflects expertise and the value added for the client. Between the two, concessions on duration, scope or billing rhythm make it possible to close a deal without selling the day short. The client’s sector of activity often gives the realistic range.
To place a price, exchanges with other freelancers in the same field and client feedback give good benchmarks. It is worth reviewing the TJM at least once a year, and with each new mission, rather than waiting for a drop in income to react.
Invoicing your TJM
The quote and the invoice show the TJM excluding VAT, multiplied by the number of days worked. The invoice carries, among others, the following mandatory details: unique number, date, the provider’s identity and Siren number, the client’s identity, description and unit price excluding VAT, payment date, early-payment discount terms, the rate of late-payment penalties and, between businesses, the €40 fixed recovery fee. A freelancer under the VAT franchise adds the statement «TVA non applicable, art. 293 B du CGI».
Between businesses, the payment period is in principle 30 days after the service is carried out. The parties can agree on 60 days from the invoice date, or 45 days end of month. Invoicing every month on a long mission, rather than at the end, smooths cash flow and limits the risk of a large unpaid bill.
Getting paid for your missions with Vivid
Micro-entrepreneurs, sole traders and EIRLs open their Vivid business account for freelancers on the Indépendants plans; companies such as the EURL and the SASU fall under the General Business plans. On every Indépendants plan:
An invoice can be paid by SEPA transfer or by card, and payments land on a business account with a French IBAN, separate from personal accounts.
Vivid at a glance: invoices and reminders included in every Indépendants plan, free outgoing SEPA transfers and a Standard plan at €0 per month. Prime starts at €6.90 per month billed annually.
Invoice your days from one account
Open a Vivid business account for freelancers: invoices and reminders included, free outgoing SEPA transfers and a Standard plan at €0 per month.
Frequently asked questions
What is a TJM?
The TJM, or taux journalier moyen, is the price of one working day billed by a freelancer to a client. It is stated excluding VAT and serves as the basis for quotes and invoices on time-based missions.
How do you calculate your TJM?
Add up the target net income, social contributions and professional costs for the year, then divide by the number of days that can really be billed. The result, rounded up, is the minimum TJM.
How many days should you bill per year?
In 2026, about 227 working days remain after weekends, 9 weekday public holidays and 5 weeks of leave. Prospecting, administration and gaps between missions cut this total further. A prudent calculation starts from a much lower figure, such as the 180 days in the example above.
Is the TJM excluding or including VAT?
The TJM is quoted excluding VAT. If the freelancer is liable for VAT, it is added on the invoice; under the VAT franchise, the invoice stays excluding VAT with the statement «TVA non applicable, art. 293 B du CGI».
What net income does a €500 TJM give?
As an example, 160 days billed at €500 give €80,000 of turnover. In a non-regulated liberal micro-entreprise, contributions at 25.6% come to €20,480. With €4,800 of costs, €54,720 remains before income tax and before the vocational training contribution.
What is the difference between a TJM and an hourly rate?
A TJM bills a whole day, the hourly rate one hour of work. The first suits long missions, the second short or one-off jobs. Dividing a TJM by the length of a typical day gives a reference hourly rate.
How can you raise your TJM?
A sharper specialism, solid client references and a better-defined offer justify a higher rate. The easiest moment to raise it is still the start of a new mission or the yearly renewal of a contract.
This article is provided for general information only and does not constitute legal, tax or social security advice. Rates, ceilings and thresholds are presented as published by the French administration and Bpifrance Création; the worked examples are illustrations. Payment services are provided by Vivid Money S.A., an electronic money institution authorised by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) in Luxembourg, whose French branch is supervised by the Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution (ACPR).
