When a fixed price makes sense
A fixed price suits work where you can describe the finished result in a paragraph, like a website, a logo or a report. People buying those want to know the cost up front, and they'll often pay more for that. Hourly or day rates suit ongoing support, retainers and vague briefs where nobody knows how big the job is until it's done.
| Situation | Quote with |
|---|---|
| Clearly defined deliverables (a 5-page site, a report, a logo) | Fixed price |
| Ongoing support or maintenance | Hourly, or a day rate of 7–8× your hourly |
| Vague brief ("modernise our marketing") | Day rate until the scope is clear, then a fixed price |
| New client, unknown working style | A small first project at a fixed price with a tight written scope |
Whichever you choose, write down what's included. Quotes without a scope list are how jobs keep growing.
Turning a brief into a number
- Split the work into tasks. The deliverables, and the smaller jobs behind them: finding out what the client needs, design, build, revisions, launch.
- Estimate the hours for each task honestly. If you've never done this kind of job, ask someone who has, or double your first guess.
- Add a buffer of 20–30% to the total, not to each task. It covers rounds of feedback, clients running late and the technical problem you didn't see coming. Those costs come out of the buffer, not out of your rate.
- Multiply by your rate. Use a rate from the middle of the range for your field (see our freelancer rates guide), not your bare minimum. Our free pricing calculator shows what different rates leave you with after tax and NI.
- Round up to a clean number, then put it in writing along with the scope, the revisions included, the deposit and the payment terms.
A worked example. A local business wants a five-page website, and your rate is £45 an hour, which is mid-range for web development.
- Discovery and gathering content: 3h
- Design: 6h
- Build (responsive site and contact form): 8h
- Revisions, two rounds included: 3h
- Testing and launch: 3h
That's 23 hours, or £1,035 at £45 an hour. A 25% buffer adds about £260, which makes £1,295. Quote £1,350 (rounded up), with a deposit of half, £675, to start and the rest before launch.
Every figure there comes from a task you'd actually do, so you're not guessing at what the site is "worth".
Where the rate comes from
A quote is only as good as the rate you put into it. If your floor (what you need after tax and NI) is below the market rate, even a fair-looking project price will underpay you on every job.
Find the range for your field in our UK freelancer rates guide and pick a working rate in the middle of it. Check what that leaves you with in the free pricing calculator, then use the same rate for every quote until you're busy enough, or experienced enough, to put it up.
Five things to put in writing on every quote
- Scope. Exactly what's included, such as the pages, the deliverables and two rounds of revisions, and a line saying that anything else is a change request.
- A limit on revisions. Say how many rounds are included. Anything after that is charged at your rate per item.
- Change requests in writing. New work gets described and priced before you start on it, even small one-off tweaks.
- A deposit before you start. 30–50% on most projects, and for jobs under about £500 it's normal to ask for the full amount up front. If there's no deposit, there's no start date.
- Payment terms. The balance is due on completion or before launch, with a clear "pay within X days" line (we'd suggest 7). Once the job's agreed, our free invoice generator turns the same figures into a UK invoice in a couple of minutes.
The contract template in our £19 Starter Pack has all of these clauses written out already.
From quote to invoice
When the work's done, the invoice generator is free and takes a couple of minutes.
Common questions about project pricing
How do you calculate a fixed price for a project?
Split the work into tasks and estimate the hours for each. Add a 20–30% buffer to the total, multiply by your hourly rate and round up to a clean number. Then put the scope, the number of revisions, the deposit and the payment terms in writing.
What if the client asks for changes after I've quoted?
Anything outside the written scope is a change request. Write down what it is, price it at your rate plus a buffer, and only start once they've agreed. Keep quotes valid for about two weeks so the price doesn't drift.
How much buffer should I add to a project quote?
20–30% on top of an honest task-by-task estimate, and more if the work is new to you, the client is known to be slow or the technology is unfamiliar. Don't send your first total as it is, because first estimates always miss something.
Should I take a deposit for small projects?
Yes. Ask for 30–50% before you start on most jobs, and for work under about £500 it's normal to ask for the full amount up front. The deposit covers you if the client disappears and pays for the time you've already put in.
When should I use hourly instead of fixed pricing?
For ongoing support or retainers, vague briefs where nobody knows the size of the job yet, and brand-new clients. For ongoing work, a day rate of seven to eight times your hourly rate is a sensible starting point. Switch to a fixed price once the scope is clear.
Sources: UK freelance market rates from the YunoJuno 2025 Freelancer Rates Report; HMRC 2026/27 rates via GOV.UK where referenced. Figures are indicative. This guide isn't accounting or legal advice.