Freelance Rate - The Neverending Quest for the Right Rate

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What do you charge?

< $10
1
8%
$10 - $20
1
8%
$21-$30
1
8%
$31-$40
1
8%
$40-$80
3
23%
> $80
6
46%
 
Total votes: 13

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Todd_Z
Forum Regular
Posts: 708
Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2004 9:53 pm
Location: U Michigan

Freelance Rate - The Neverending Quest for the Right Rate

Post by Todd_Z »

I am starting to go for freelance jobs which are per hour basis, but I really have no idea what I'm worth. I see people advising "Charge whatever you are comfortable with" all over the place, but I can't answer that either. I was wondering if you could post your crudentials, and a figure that you charge per hour. Thanks!
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Chris Corbyn
Breakbeat Nuttzer
Posts: 13098
Joined: Wed Mar 24, 2004 7:57 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Post by Chris Corbyn »

You know it really does just depend on what you think your abilities are and the bottom line.... what people are willing to pay ;)
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Burrito
Spockulator
Posts: 4715
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2004 8:15 pm
Location: Eden, Utah

Post by Burrito »

it also totally depends on the market in which you're looking to work.

for example: people in Menlo Park CA are gonna pay you a helluva lot more than people in Green River Wy.

you need to feel out a lot of different angles before you can put a price on any job.
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neophyte
DevNet Resident
Posts: 1537
Joined: Tue Jan 20, 2004 4:58 pm
Location: Minnesota

Post by neophyte »

Contracting is expensive -- $100 an hour. If calculate what your time is worth add in other expenses -- taxes, ss, medical insurance and everything else an employer might provide you with -- I'd say you have to go for making somewhere around that figure. But on the other hand if you're freelancing part-time and don't worry about insurance you could probably go for half that and be more than okay. But what do I know I've had all of one freelance job that's still not finished. --LOL
thegreatone2176
Forum Contributor
Posts: 102
Joined: Sun Jul 11, 2004 1:27 pm

Post by thegreatone2176 »

I find it easiest if you have this option is to let the other person decided because from my experience their suggestion is way higher than my ever would of been.
Roja
Tutorials Group
Posts: 2692
Joined: Sun Jan 04, 2004 10:30 pm

Post by Roja »

Its all relative.

I've had multi-year projects that I've done for the love of it - for free. I've had single-day projects that I would have paid to not have to do (day job, etc).

In between, there is a substantial range in fees. For me, it basically comes down to "How much do I think my spare time is worth", which is usually also relative to how much I earn in my 'day job'.

When I was unemployed, I was very un-picky about what work I would do, and for how much. Now that I am employed, my spare time is very valuable to me.

Also, as another poster said, area matters.. I've seen coders in europe and asia willing to work for pennies on the dollar in comparison to coders in the US. Then again, I've seen some California coders that charge 2-3x as much as other regions.

As a general statement, I consider programming php for anything less than $50 an hour "cheap". Granted, that puts the salary at over 100k a year, but its not salary - its the cost of your *spare* time, not a day job. Plus there are gaps between jobs, and so on.
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