About ErosionCalc
Why We Built This
Inflation is the most overlooked financial risk for freelancers and independent professionals. Unlike salaried employees who often receive annual cost-of-living adjustments, freelancers must actively manage their rates against inflation — and most don't.
We built ErosionCalc because we noticed a pattern: talented freelancers setting a rate and keeping it unchanged for 3, 5, even 10 years — not realizing that they were effectively accepting a compounding pay cut every single year. The math is clear, but it's invisible without the right tool.
What This Tool Does
ErosionCalc is a precision calculator that applies standard compound interest mathematics to reveal the real impact of inflation on freelance income. It answers a simple question: "If I don't raise my rate, what will it actually be worth in X years?"
The tool covers 50 countries with approximate inflation data, supports hourly, monthly, and annual rate calculations, and provides year-by-year breakdowns with visualization.
Our Principles
- Privacy by Design: All calculations happen in your browser. We never see, transmit, or store your financial data.
- Mathematical Transparency: We use standard compound interest formulas (documented on our Disclaimer page) with no proprietary "black box" calculations.
- Free Access: The calculator is and will remain free. We sustain the project through non-intrusive advertising.
- Data Honesty: We clearly state that inflation data is approximate and encourage users to verify rates through official sources for critical decisions.
Who We Are
We are a small team of developers and financial analysts who have experience in the freelance economy. We understand the challenges of independent work because we live them. ErosionCalc is one of several financial tools we are developing for the independent professional community.
Contact
Have questions, feedback, or data corrections? We'd love to hear from you. Visit our Contact page to get in touch.