Price a freelance project
Move from annual capacity to a scoped project estimate and a printable quotation.
This is an invented scenario for learning, not a customer story. All amounts use one unspecified currency.
The question to resolve
A documented 1,495 quotation with an explicit cost buffer.
- Annual pay and overhead goals
- Realistic billable time
- Task estimates and a written scope
Establish a planning rate
The annual requirement is 60,000 across 1,008 billable hours. For this invented project, choose 60 as a convenient planning rate; rounding it is a decision, not an automatic transfer.
See the exact demonstration inputs
- pay
48000
- overhead
12000
- weeks
48
- hours
35
- billable
60
Estimate the work and buffer
Twenty hours cost 1,200. Expenses add 100; a 15% contingency on 1,300 adds 195. Include a defined revision allowance in the scope.
See the exact demonstration inputs
- items
Task,Hours,Rate Research,4,60 Design,12,60 Revisions,4,60
- expenses
100
- contingency
15
Prepare a draft quotation
The quotation itemizes the same 1,495 total. Tax is zero only for arithmetic demonstration, not a determination of tax treatment. Nothing is sent to a customer.
See the exact demonstration inputs
- issuer
Example Design Studio
- recipient
Example Workshop
- reference
DEMO-Q-001
- date
2026-10-23
- items
Description,Quantity,UnitPrice Scoped design work,20,60 Direct expenses,1,100 Contingency allowance,1,195
- discount
0
- tax
0
Make the handoff explicit
Review the assumptions before adapting these figures. A calculated result is not an order, invitation, accepted quotation or guaranteed deadline. Save your own copy before leaving; no work is stored automatically.
Read the related explanations
PRACTICAL GUIDEMarkup is not margin: price with the right denominator
Compare two percentages, test a price change and see why gross margin is not take-home profit.
Read the guide
PRACTICAL GUIDEBuild an hourly baseline from time you can actually bill
Separate working time from billable capacity and stress-test an annual hourly-rate target.
Read the guide
PRACTICAL GUIDETurn a defined scope into a defensible quotation
Connect deliverables, task estimates, expenses and a visible buffer without confusing a quote with an invoice.
Read the guide