Before You Say Yes, Price the Whole Project

A client offers you $900 to write, design, plan, or build something. You look over the request, estimate six hours of work, and the offer feels like $150 an hour. That number is easy to say yes to. Then the project begins, and it includes a kickoff call, a second call to clarify the first, dozens of emails, two rounds of changes, a file format nobody mentioned, and an invoice you have to send twice. Twelve hours later the same $900 has become $75 an hour, and nothing about the offer changed. Only your picture of the work did.

This does not mean every project has to meet an hourly target. Some projects are worth taking at a lower rate, and some are worth declining at a much higher one. What matters is that you can see the whole workload before you answer, because a decision made with half the information is a guess. The steps below show you how to see the whole project so that yes, no, and not yet are all choices you make on purpose.

Step One: Count the Work Nobody Lists

Most quotes are built around the deliverable, which is the finished thing you hand over, such as the article, the logo, the workshop, or the spreadsheet. The deliverable is usually the smallest visible part of the job. Around it sits a layer of work that never appears in the request but still takes your time and attention. Start by listing every category below and giving each one an honest number of hours.

• Preparation: reading the brief, gathering materials, setting up files or accounts

• Meetings: the kickoff call, check ins, and the final review, including the few minutes before and after each

• Research: learning the client's business, audience, or subject

• Production: the core work itself

• Communication: emails, texts, and messages that need thoughtful replies

• Revisions: changes after the first draft

• Delivery and admin: exporting files, sending the invoice, following up on payment

Here is how the $900 example reaches twelve hours. Production takes six hours, preparation one hour, meetings an hour and a half, research half an hour, communication one hour, revisions an hour and a half, and delivery and admin half an hour. Every line looks small on its own, and together they double the workload. If you have finished a similar project before, open your calendar and your sent email folder for that project and count what happened. Those records will show you a truer estimate than memory does.

Next, add direct expenses, which are costs that exist only because of this project. Examples include stock photos, a software subscription you would not otherwise pay for, printing, shipping, parking, and travel. Suppose this project carries $60 in expenses. The $900 fee leaves $840, which spread over twelve hours is $70 an hour.

Taxes also belong in the picture. The IRS lists the self employment tax rate as 15.3%, made up of 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare, and it is calculated on 92.35% of your net profit rather than the full amount. On $840 of net profit, that comes to about $119. That leaves roughly $721, or about $60 an hour, and income tax has not been taken out yet. This is a rough comparison aid and not tax advice, so ask a tax professional how it applies to your situation. The purpose of the exercise is to see how far the quoted number sits from the number that reaches you.

Step Two: Clarify What the Agreement Covers

A project stays profitable when both sides agree on its edges. Before you accept, get clear answers to five questions, and put the answers in writing, even if the writing is a short email that says "here is what we agreed."

• What are the deliverables? Name each one, its format, and its due date. Also name what is not included, such as extra versions, additional pages, or rush delivery.

• How many revision rounds are included? Define a round as one consolidated set of feedback from the client, so that ten separate emails do not count as ten rounds.

• Who gives approval? Ask for one person who can say "this is final." Projects slow down and grow when three people give three different opinions.

• When is payment due? Settle the due date, whether a deposit is required, and how you will be paid.

• What happens if the project grows? Agree in advance that new requests will be quoted separately before the work begins.

Written agreements are also protected in some places by law. In New York City, a written contract is required for freelance work valued at $800 or more, and a statewide version of the law took effect on August 28, 2024. Under these laws, when the contract does not state a payment date, payment is due within 30 days of completing the services. Laws differ from place to place, so check the rules where you and your client are located. Even where no law applies, a short written agreement with the same basic pieces (who, what, how much, and by when) protects both people.

Step Three: Weigh the Value Beyond the Fee

Sometimes a project is worth taking even when the math is thin. It might give you a portfolio sample in a category you want to work in, an introduction to a person you want to meet, or a written promise of repeat work. The trouble starts when the benefit is vague. "This will be great exposure" is a hope, and a hope is not a payment.

Test any non-fee benefit with one sentence: "I am accepting this fee because ______, and I will know it worked when ______." A strong answer sounds like "because this sample shows a type of work I want more of, and I will know it worked when I use it in two proposals this quarter." A weak answer sounds like "because it might lead to something." If you cannot fill in the blanks, the benefit is not concrete enough to trade your hours for.

Then ask two follow up questions. Could you get the same benefit another way, such as by creating your own sample or asking for the introduction directly? And what paid work will you turn down or delay to make room for these hours? Set a limit on the time you are willing to spend, and treat that limit the way you would treat a budget.

Step Four: Choose Your Next Move

With the full workload, the expenses, the agreement terms, and the value in view, you have four honest options. None of them is the wrong answer, and each one comes with a clear conversation.

Accept it as offered when the numbers work, the boundaries are clear, and you want the project. Confirm the terms in writing and begin.

Ask for clarification when a missing piece is holding up your decision. Budget is often the missing piece, and asking about it early saves both sides time.

Hello [Name],

Thank you for thinking of me for this project. Before I confirm, could you share the budget you have in mind? That will help me recommend the scope that fits it best.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Warm regards,

[Your Name]

Revise the scope or the fee when the work is interesting and the offer is close. You can shrink the deliverables to match the budget, or raise the fee to match the deliverables.

Hello [Name],

Thank you for the details. Within the $900 budget, I can complete [deliverables] with two rounds of revisions and delivery by [date]. The [additional item] can be quoted separately at [fee]. Would you like me to proceed with this version, or would you prefer to discuss adding the rest?

Best regards,

[Your Name]

When a request arrives after the project has started, the same approach applies.

Hello [Name],

Thank you for the additional request. It falls outside our original agreement, which covered [deliverables]. I can complete it for [fee] with delivery by [date]. Please confirm, and I will begin.

Kind regards,

[Your Name]

Decline when the fee, the scope, or the timeline cannot be made to work. A short, courteous no leaves the door open for a better offer later.

Hello [Name],

Thank you for offering me this project. After reviewing the scope and timeline, I am not able to take it on at this fee. If the budget or scope changes, I would welcome another conversation.

Best wishes,

[Your Name]

Every one of these messages is professional and warm, and none of them apologizes for asking. A question about budget, a limit on revisions, or a fee for extra work is part of running a sound business, and most clients expect it. The clients worth keeping tend to respect the person who can explain exactly what a project includes. Pausing before you say yes is a form of care for the work, for the client, and for the person doing it.