Planning
Working out what you actually keep
The price on a listing or an invoice is the outside of the block. What matters is what's left once the costs are cut away and the hours are counted.
Start with one finished job
Pick a job you've already done, or one you're considering. Write down the full amount the client or buyer pays.
Cut away the costs
- Platform commission, from the platform's fee page
- Payment processing and payout fees
- Materials, packaging, postage, fuel or travel
- Software or equipment, shared across the jobs it's used for
- A share set aside for tax, based on the rules where you live
Count every hour
Include the hours nobody pays for: quotes, messages, revisions, travel, setting up and packing away. Readers are often surprised that these add half again to the paid time.
Divide
Divide what's left by all the hours. Compare that figure with what the hours are worth to you, including rest and time with family. Sometimes a job with a lower price keeps more per hour because it brings fewer costs and fewer unpaid hours.
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