Charging fairly for freelance work

amother

Mon, Feb 21 2022, 5:28 am

I do occasional freelance work at home. It's something that I do on the computer, mostly in my own time (though sometimes I need to get feedback from other people, and every now and then make a phone call). But basically it's me and my computer.

I prefer to be paid per job rather than per hour, mostly because I find it so hard to keep track of my hours. Both practically--what do I do if a kid interrupts me? If I need the bathroom or to get up to get a drink of water? etc.

And also I worry about getting it right, I want to avoid overcharging but the only way to avoid that completely is to undercharge. And then I spend a lot of time trying to figure it out. Like it's a whole 'nother job on top of the actual work.

I also tend to sometimes push off the work altogether if it's a time that I can't be 100% on the clock. For example, if my kids are playing nicely, I can sometimes sneak in a bit of work. But since I feel I need to track my time exactly, which I can't do while also watching my kids and intermittently guiding or responding to them, I'll avoid working at that time of day at all--even though sometimes that means working in the middle of the night instead, when my brain is decidedly less fresh. It's not actually serving my clients well.

So--recently, I have tried to predict how much time the job as a whole will take and just charge for that. But I have gotten pretty badly burned a few times when things ended up taking a lot longer than I originally thought they would. I think I need to charge per hour, definitely for open-ended type jobs (I know I'm being deliberately vague but hopefully this is clear enough).

Anyway, I know I'm all over the place... but HELP? I would love to hear from others in similar boats, how they keep track of their hours without shortchanging either their clients or themselves.

Also useful--tips on how to get better at predicting how long something will take. I see that I only ever underestimate, don't overestimate. Can be I am a very slow worker (though I can also confidently say that I am very good at what I do).

amother

Nasturtium

Mon, Feb 21 2022, 5:39 am

I charge per hour.
If the children are a distraction or I get up to do something house related- I clock out
Bathroom break or making myself food or coffee- Stay on clock
Sick child home - I stay clocked in for minor needs. clock out for larger needs.

My children are out of the house for the majority of the day and I work in the evenings typically after bedtime.

Success10

Mon, Feb 21 2022, 7:03 am

I prefer by the job for all the reasons you listed and more. Especially the part about sneaking in work when there are kids home. Very hard to clock in and out on a moment's notice. It's also just hard to get into "mode" when charging by the hour. But charging by the job means sometimes you come out ahead, and sometimes not, like if it's a picky client with tons of changes, or one who asks for several "versions" to choose from. So you do need to look at what are the going rates of whatever you are producing per job. The fee should also vary based on your skill level. But I'm in total agreeance that by the job is much better.

persephonefalls

Mon, Feb 28 2022, 1:12 pm

I don't know what industry you're in, but I prefer to charge by job rather than by hour (or by something finite and measurable, like wordcount.) Hourly feels too stressful to me, too--to hard to feel like I'm being 100% honest about how my time is spent. I'd rather get paid based on deliverables than clock in and out!

In terms of overcharging/undercharging, when I started freelancing, a very wise mentor told me that as women, we often undervalue our own work, and feel drawn to undercharging. The advice that she gave me (which is often hard for me to follow myself!) is to think of a number that makes you feel slightly nauseous because it's so high--and then add ten percent.

I can tell you from experience that every time I quote a price that seems absurdly high, and a client says "sure, no problem!" I always think "dang, I should have gone higher!" And if clients balk at the number you quote, then you can adjust slightly downwards for next time, until you find that sweet spot of the perfect amount to charge.

It's not about overcharging. It's about knowing your own worth and what your time is worth, and making sure you're paid accordingly. Your time and skills are valuable!