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Career · 6 min read · Last updated September 2026
Example: 1,500,000 target ÷ 1,152 billable hours (60% of 1,920) ≈ 1,302/hour floor. Every other pricing mode must clear this number when converted back to hours — otherwise you are subsidizing clients.
Project price = floor × estimated hours × risk factor. A 30-hour task with medium ambiguity at 1.25 risk: 1,302 × 30 × 1.25 ≈ 48,825. The risk factor is honest insurance for scope drift, not padding — without it, every underestimate comes out of your pocket. Projects reward efficiency: finish in 24 hours and you keep the difference.
A retainer sells guaranteed capacity: 20 hours/month at a 10% discount for the commitment = 1,302 × 20 × 0.9 ≈ 23,436/month. Retainers trade a discount for income predictability — worth it when the client is stable, expensive when they are chaotic.
| Mode | Best when | Risk sits with |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly | Scope is genuinely unclear | Client |
| Project | Scope is definable | You (mitigate with risk factor) |
| Retainer | Steady ongoing need | Shared |
Compute your floor with the Freelance Hourly Rate tool, project quotes with Project Fee, and monthly income scenarios with Freelance Monthly Goal.
A published set of prices — typically an hourly floor, project packages and a retainer option — computed from your income target ÷ billable hours, so every quote covers your real costs and target.
(Target income + business costs) ÷ (working hours × utilization). At 60% utilization on 1,920 working hours, a 1,500,000 target implies roughly a 1,302/hour floor.
Hourly floor × honest scope estimate × risk buffer (1.15–1.4 for ambiguity). The buffer is what keeps scope drift profitable instead of voluntary.
When the client is stable and the work is recurring: yes — a modest discount for guaranteed monthly hours buys predictability. With chaotic clients, hourly is safer.