[Question] How do you like to charge - by the hr or by project?

[B-organized]

Hello all!

I have been asked recently if some of my services could be charged by project, or if I just strictly do hourly.

I am looking for input as to the pros/cons of charging by project vs hourly. My thought is that if they hear my hourly charge - they are not sure how many hrs it will take - but if I tell them the project charge - it is a definate amount - therefore they know up front what the total cost would be.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

[Office Goddess]

Since I primarily do bookkeeping, the majority of my work is hourly. I DO charge a flat fee to set up a QuickBooks account, but it is based on past experience of how long it takes me...

[oneclick-va]

I charge both hourly and per project, depending on the situation. For example, when I write and distribute press releases, I charge per project. Social networking community management - per hour, etc. I must admit, I'm not at all happy with per hour arrangements. So I'm looking for better alternatives. I found this series of pricing advice posts immensenly helpful. Just can't wait until Tracy, the gal that writes them, talks about transitioning away from hourly and retainer rates.

[executive_assist]

I generally like to charge per project better, but I think it depends on the service too. For example I will charge a flat fee to do transaction coordination, but if they need something less involved I will do an hourly fee.
In charging your clients, you should just use some common sense. I sometimes discount services for clients that I know will bring me others. It's really what works best for you.

[Cathryn Jones]

I prefer to charge by the project. It is easier for me when invoicing as no time tracking sheet to worry about. Also, I find that it is easier for my clients to budget. They know exactly how much something will cost them when they send it over.

Much of my work is repeditive projects. Thus, as I gain efficiencies, it benefits me to charge by the project rather than by the hour.

Have a great day!

Cathryn

[JNHVA]

How do you charge by project and set your fees? I'm a newbie and thought hourly was the way to go but now I am thinking maybe by project would be better.

[Jenn B]

It sounds to me like the op's clients are asking for project charges so they know how much to budget. In which case I would lean towards providing them with a generous estimate of how long it might take me to do the project, while still charging hourly. If they still don't like it, I'd probably multiply my best guess by 1 1/2 and give them that for a project fee.

I am currently charging hourly only, as I'm still learning how long it takes me to do things. But I think it's important to give clients a good estimate of your time so that they can budget.

[OrganizedAssistant]

Bridget,

I charge by the hour for everything except for website design, which I charge by the project. My agreement clearly spells out what is included in the price, so the client knows they'll have to pay extra for anything that is not listed.

For other projects, I will tell them approximately how many hours it will take so they have a ballpark figure for budgeting purposes. I give them a range (e.g. 7-10 hours) rather than a specific number, since there can be so many variables.

I hope this helps!

[EbeeROX]

Since i'm new, all this info helps me alot! Thank you!

[yoursvirtually]

I am in a bit of a dilemma on how to charge a client for a huge phone project. Basically, I would be making follow up calls to his current client base of 200-400 and ly asking how current services are and if they are interested in any upgrades, and enter that information in a spreadsheet accordingly. The spreadsheet is already formatted, so I don't have to worry about that. The client can't really afford my hourly rate, so they are reviewing their budget to see what they can pay on a project basis. It is very hard for me to even give the client an estimate at this point. Any suggestions or feedback would be very much appreciated. Thanks.