Read a report on the Freelancers Union site that opened my eyes

I used to think charging by the hour was fair for everyone. Then I saw a survey from the Freelancers Union that said freelancers who switch to flat project fees earn 30% more on average. Now I'm rethinking how I quote my editing work, especially for repeat clients in Austin. Has anyone here tried switching from hourly to flat fees and seen a real difference?

3 comments

3 Comments

rowanw911mo ago

Thirty percent more? That's wild. Are people really paying that much more when it's a flat rate?

fionamurphy19d ago

Too good to be true" is exactly what I thought too, @sanchez.ivan, but I've noticed this pattern in other areas of life actually. Like how some car mechanics charge flat fees for brake jobs and others bill by the hour - the flat rate guys usually make more because they get faster and better at the work over time. The whole hourly thing punishes you for being efficient, which is backwards when you think about it. So the 30% number probably comes from people who got good at what they do and stopped discounting their own speed. I bet the survey is real, it just captures what happens when you stop treating your time like it's the only thing you're selling.

sanchez.ivan19d ago

Wait, 30% more just from switching to flat fees? That sounds too good to be true honestly. Maybe the numbers are skewed by people who already charged really low hourly rates to begin with. But if it's real, I should probably look into that survey myself.