Just realized I've been undercharging for rush jobs for 2 years

Had a client last week ask for a full website mockup in 48 hours. I quoted my usual hourly rate plus a 20% markup like I always do. Then a friend who does the same work said she charges double her normal rate for anything under a week. I crunched the numbers on my last 10 rush projects and I left about $3,000 on the table. How do you all figure out what's fair for tight deadlines without scaring people off?

3 comments

3 Comments

victorhernandez2d ago

Man I was in the same boat till about a year ago. What worked for me was setting a flat rush fee on top of my regular rate instead of a percentage markup. So like if a project is normally $500, I add a $200 rush charge no matter what the total is. That way it feels like a specific cost for the hassle not like I'm gouging them. But I also started being upfront about it in my first email - "if you need it in under a week theres a rush fee of $X" - and surprisingly most clients just said okay or planned ahead next time. The ones who got mad about it were usually the ones who would have been a pain anyway so I didn't mind losing them. And for repeat clients I give a heads up like "hey normally this would be a rush fee but since you've been good to me I'll wave it this time" which actually made them respect me more.

anna7172d ago

Wait, is the flat fee thing actually working out for you long term? I tried something similar a few years back but made it too low ($50) and people just paid it without thinking twice so I was basically working for free. I bumped it to $150 flat on top of my rate and it felt like the perfect sweet spot where clients actually paused and considered if they really needed it rushed or not. The repeat client thing is spot on too I started giving my regulars one free rush per year and they seriously appreciate it way more than any discount I could have offered.

shanes662d ago

Gotta disagree with you on this one. Charging double just because a deadline is tight doesn't always make sense, it really depends on the client and the relationship. If you have someone who gives you consistent work and pays on time, hitting them with a 100% markup for a rush job might piss them off and cost you way more than $3k in the long run. Plus some rush jobs are actually easier than normal ones because the client has already made up their mind on the design and just needs it executed fast. I'd say figure out what your time is actually worth per hour when you have to drop everything else, and add a reasonable bump like 30-40% not some crazy double rate.