{
  "id": 18614497,
  "title": "A Simple Way to Check Your Freelance Project Quote",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/07/a-simple-way-to-check-your-freelance-project-quote",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-11-07T01:52:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dev.to",
    "slug": "dev-to",
    "url": "https://dev.to/chuanbuilds/a-simple-way-to-check-your-freelance-project-quote-213e"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "When a client requests the creation of a small website, you begin by estimating the time required for design and development, which is around 10 hours. You also consider the additional 2 hours needed for meetings, revisions, and delivery. After determining the target pay rate of $50 per hour, the total cost for your time comes to $600. To account for project-related expenses such as software, assets, or external assistance, add $100, resulting in an estimated cost of $700.\n\nIt is crucial to list all components of the job before setting the price. For instance, in this example, quoting $700 covers the estimated costs, including your pay. However, a 30% profit margin is often desired. To achieve this, you would calculate the quote as follows: $700 ÷ (1 − 0.30) = $1,000. This means that a $1,000 quote leaves $300 in operating profit, which is a 30% profit margin.\n\nA common mistake to avoid is adding 30% to $700, resulting in $910, which represents a 30% markup on cost rather than a 30% profit margin. Before sending the quote, it is essential to confirm with the client what is included. This includes the number of pages or features, who will provide the content and images, the number of revision rounds, and the plan for handling scope changes.\n\nWhile a quote may appear accurate on paper, discrepancies can arise if both parties have differing interpretations of the work. To simplify these calculations, a tool called QuoteForProfit is available. This free, account-free tool allows you to input your time, costs, fees, and target margin to generate a suggested quote. However, it is important to remember that this is merely a starting point. You should still consider the client, the project scope, and what is appropriate for the specific project.",
  "summary": "A client asks you to build a small website. You estimate the work will take about 10 hours, pick an hourly rate, and send over a fixed price. Then come the emails, the kickoff call, the content that needs cleaning up, and a couple of revision rounds. None of those things are unusual, but they can make a 10-hour project take quite a bit longer than expected. Before sending a quote, it helps to do…",
  "key_points": [
    "Freelance project cost includes time, design, development, and revisions.",
    "Add 30% profit margin by dividing cost by 0.70 to set quote.",
    "QuoteForProfit tool simplifies quote creation with time, costs, fees, margin."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Distinguishing between a markup on costs and a true profit margin ensures freelancers protect their earnings and maintain sustainable business operations when calculating project estimates.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}