Help me decide what to charge.

January 24, 2008 9:01 AM

Freelance filter: How much do I charge? I've not done this type of work freelance style before.

I have a possible upcoming opportunity for an Austin based publishing company, in which they're seeking a project based multimedia production coordinator/project manager. I need to name a price they won't balk at but with out cheating myself too. Is there anyone in the industry in ATx who can tell me what the going rate is.

My last full time salaried gig in another city (without heaps of nubile college kids willing to do the work for less) was roughly 23/hr; but this particular opportunity will not necessarily be full time and no benefits.

posted by delladlux to work & money (6 comments total)

Check the rates page (Rates) at the Editorial Freelancers Association.

(Project Management: $40-$65 an hour for print).

Another way to look at it: Your previous $23/hour was net, right? So add 50% of that to cover SSI and etc and you're up to $35/hr. That's pretty cheap for project management.
posted by notyou at 9:42 AM on January 24

A quick way to figure an hourly rate for consulting work is to look at the full-time salary of a similar position and lob off three 0s. So if it's common for someone with your experience to be paid $50,000 for this work, your fee would be $50/hr. You might check salary.com for ideas about salaries in Austin.

In the Midwest, $45/hr is pretty much the minimum for any skilled project-based work.
posted by PatoPata at 9:43 AM on January 24

You can also charge 2-3 times what you'd make per hour in a salaried position. There's a self-link in my profile to a long blog post about setting fees.
posted by acoutu at 12:25 PM on January 24

The going rate in SFCA is $75/hr.
posted by hapax_legomenon at 10:09 PM on January 25

Maybe this will help-

freelanceswitch
posted by pleuroma at 4:51 AM on January 27

Freelance Switch is a great site, but that rate calculator needs some work. When I put my figures in, it tells me to charge around $600 an hour.
posted by acoutu at 3:22 PM on February 8