The idea behind the score
A banker looking at a loan file evaluates 5-7 dimensions: income, stability, debt, savings, collateral. They weight them, output a score, and decide.
For a freelancer, it's the same mechanism — except nobody teaches it to you. The Health Score Freelance Budget computes formalizes what you "feel" intuitively: is my business doing well, or am I telling myself stories?
The 5 dimensions
1. Collection (late payments)
How many invoices are late? What percentage of expected revenue is collected on time?
- 100/100: zero delays, 100% collected on time
- 70/100: 1-2 invoices slightly late but coming in
- 30/100: 30% of revenue stuck waiting, some past 60+ days
Why it matters: a freelancer with excellent revenue but 50% late is in real cash danger, even if the activity looks healthy.
2. Runway (months of cash ahead)
With your current cash and your fixed expenses, how many months can you operate without a new mission?
- 100/100: 6+ months of runway
- 70/100: 3-6 months
- 40/100: 1-3 months
- 10/100: < 1 month
Why it matters: it's your shock tolerance. Lose a big client, get sick, hit a dry spell — how long do you last?
3. Margin (revenue minus charges)
What share of your revenue actually stays after VAT, social charges, expenses and taxes?
- 100/100: net margin > 40%
- 70/100: 25-40%
- 40/100: 10-25%
- 10/100: < 10%
Why it matters: €100,000 in revenue with 8% net margin = €8,000 actually entering your wealth. €70,000 with 35% margin = €24,500. The second freelancer is three times wealthier.
4. Client diversification
What share of your revenue is concentrated on your biggest client?
- 100/100: no client > 30%
- 70/100: one client at 30-50%
- 40/100: one client at 50-70%
- 10/100: one client > 70%
Why it matters: if your main client is 80% of your revenue, you're not a freelancer — you're a quasi-employee without employment security. And when that client leaves (and they always do), it's the apocalypse.
5. Regularity (monthly revenue variance)
How volatile is your revenue month over month?
- 100/100: variation < 15% between high and low months
- 70/100: 15-30%
- 40/100: 30-60%
- 10/100: > 60% (one month at €12k, the next at €2k)
Why it matters: regularity is predictability. Irregular revenue forces you to over-provision, complicates management, and weighs on you mentally.
The computation
Each dimension is scored 0-100, then weighted based on your profile and context:
- For a beginner freelancer: Collection and Runway are weighted more (60% of total)
- For an established freelancer: Margin and Diversification become more important (50% of total)
- Regularity always counts around 15-20%
The final result: a 0-100 score that summarizes "where you stand".
How to read your score
80-100 (Excellent): everything's fine, you can invest, take risks, pay yourself more.
60-79 (Good): one dimension is weak, to fix. Often it's Collection (chase invoices) or Diversification (prospect).
40-59 (Average): two or three dimensions are weak. Amber alert: your business holds, but it wouldn't survive a shock.
< 40 (Concerning): act fast. Typically a freelancer with one big late-paying client, no runway. The classic panic scenario.
What moves the score over time
- A new mission starts: Runway up (projected future cash), Regularity up if it spreads over time.
- An invoice goes overdue: Collection drops.
- A big one-off expense: Runway temporarily drops.
- A new client: Diversification improves.
- A dry spell: Runway and Regularity collapse simultaneously.
The score is computed in real time from the entity's data — not a manual computation.
Why it changes the conversation with your accountant
When you walk in with a 65/100 score and a dashboard showing Collection is pulling it down, the conversation becomes concrete:
- "OK, we need to chase these 3 clients"
- "We need to provision for VAT in April"
- "You can pay yourself €4,500 this month without breaking your runway"
Instead of "so how's it going?" and a vague "meh, fine".
The score isn't a report card grade. It's a compass.