Inside the file
- 01The rate an hour has to earn, from take-home, tax, overhead, and the hours you can sell
- 02The price to send for one job, including revision, costs, and how long the client takes to pay
- 03The deposit, and the sentence to copy into the email
- 04A finished example you can check with a calculator
A freelance quote usually prices the hours that would fit on the invoice and skips the rest. This workbook prices one job from the year that job has to pay for.
On Your year you enter the take-home you need, the share of profit you hold back for tax, overhead, the weeks you can sell, and the hours a client pays for in one of those weeks. That is the rate an hour has to earn.
On This job you enter the hours of the work, the hours of revision and email, the costs on that job, and how many days this client takes to pay. The file returns the lowest price that still works, the price to send, what is due before you start, and a sentence you can copy.
The last sheet is a finished job. A homepage quoted at $2,400, as 24 hours at $100, kept $36.50 an hour after the hidden hours, the costs, a share of overhead, and the hold-back. The year needed $99.42. The sheet sends $6,051.
If a client will not pay the price, the job does not fit the year. Charging less means earning less per hour, and the sheet shows how much less. You can send more than the price. The figure is the floor plus a cushion you can set to zero.
It is for one person selling their own hours. Your accountant still owns the rules where you live.
Good for
Freelancers and solo makers who sell their own hours and are about to send a price for one job.
Leave it
A team, a product, a retainer, or anyone who needs accounting software or a tax return. A lawyer still owns the contract.
Before you pay
How is the freelance price calculated?
You enter the take-home you need, the share of profit you hold back for tax, overhead for the year, the weeks you can sell, and the hours a client pays for in one of those weeks. That sets the rate an hour has to earn. The job sheet adds the real hours, the costs on that job, the days until you are paid, and a cushion. The price to send is that total, rounded up to the next dollar.
Does this calculate my income tax?
It uses a hold-back you type, as a percent of profit. It does not work out the tax you owe, and it does not file a return. Your accountant still owns the rules where you live.
Is the result an hourly rate or a fixed price?
The year produces an hourly rate. The job turns that rate into one price, a deposit, and a sentence. You can put that price on the invoice as a fixed fee.
What do I need to open it?
Excel, Google Sheets, or any program that opens an xlsx file. Type in the shaded cells. The formulas are locked so a number cannot replace one. Unprotect the sheet from the Review menu if you need to. There is no password.
What is in the free sample?
A two-page PDF of one finished job. A homepage quoted at $2,400 keeps $36.50 an hour. The sheet sends $6,051 instead. The second page is the arithmetic, so you can check it before you pay. The spreadsheet is the file you use.
