Rates, 2026
What should an IT support freelancer charge in a major city?
About $500 a day for a IT support freelancer who is working and booked in a major city like Chicago, Atlanta, Miami or Austin. $400 in the first years, $625 when senior.
Other markets: New York or LA · remote · a smaller market
First years
$400
a day · $50 an hour
Working, booked
$500
a day · $65 an hour
Senior, sought after
$625
a day · $80 an hour
The rate card, working level
- Day rate$500 per day
- Hourlyfor anything that does not fit a day$65 per hour
- Monthly retainerthe small office kept running$1,500 per month
Sold by the hour, a monthly retainer, by the day. The day is the unit; half days run 60%.
What to charge for each thing
Ranges for a major city like Chicago, Atlanta, Miami or Austin: the low end is the first years, the high end is senior. Working and booked sits in the middle.
- Per hour$45 to $100 per hour
- Device setup$65 to $175 per device
- Small office network$850 to $3,400 each
- Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 setup$425 to $1,700 each
How the number is made
IT support and setups at this level in this market day at about $500 ($400 to $800 in New York and LA). Put in the year you actually want on the perfect price page and the number moves with it.
A retainer is the month, not the hours: the small office kept running. It is priced about 20% under the same work bought one at a time, in exchange for the certainty; three months minimum, or it is not a retainer.
Questions
- What is a fair day rate for a IT support freelancer in a major city like Chicago, Atlanta, Miami or Austin?
- About $500 a day for someone working and booked, $400 in the first years, $625 when senior and sought after. Half days usually run 60% of the day.
- What does a monthly retainer look like for a IT support freelancer?
- Around $1,500 a month: the small office kept running. About 20% under the same work bought one piece at a time, in exchange for certainty; three months minimum.
- Are these rates a rule?
- No. They are US 2026 ranges for the role, placed by level and moved for the market. What a client actually paid you beats all of it. The tool has a box for that, and it wins.
Your number, in five seconds.
Pick your level and market, get a card you can send the next client who asks. Then RostrLab quotes, papers, invoices and chases every job with it: free for 14 days, $29 a month, never a cut.
More in development and it
web developermobile developerShopify developerbackend developerfull-stack developerno-code builderdata analystdata scientist