Stage 4 of 8 · 7 lessons · ~2 weeks

Pricing, scope and agreements

Price so that you actually earn after fees and tax, write down exactly what is included, and agree scope, payments, revisions and ownership in writing before any work starts.

Start: Hourly, fixed price and packages

Lessons· one lesson for each topic, in this order

Do this

Work out your rate floor from a monthly target, billable hours, fees and tax.
Price your service so what you keep after fees matches your floor or better.
Write a scope template: deliverables, exclusions, client inputs, timeline, revisions, done.
Plan milestones for a typical project in your service.
Decide your revision limit and write a short change request reply you can reuse.
Prepare your agreement: platform contract terms, or a direct agreement adapted to your country.
Tie ownership of the work to full payment.

Practise

Freelancers Union Contract Creator
Work through the form once: its questions are the checklist of what to agree before starting

Keep handy

Upwork Help Center for freelancers
The Freelancer Service Fee and milestones articles, with worked pricing examples

Also worth your time

The Complete Freelance Web Developer GuideRead
Its sections on flat-rate pricing and contracts, written from real freelance experience
Never Split the DifferenceGo deeperPaid
Negotiation from listening and questions rather than pressure, useful when clients push on price

Before moving on: A pricing sheet with your rate floor worked out, prices for your service with fees included, and a scope and agreement template (platform contract terms or a direct agreement) with milestones, revision limits and a change request line.

Tauseef's advice

Beginners worry most about charging too much. The real risk is unclear scope: a cheap project with no written limits turns into weeks of unpaid extras. Write the scope before you start, every time, and price so you keep what you need after fees.