Vocations · Professional Development · Freelancing

Sell the month,
not the hour.

Set the hours a retainer includes and the discount for committing. The calculator shows the monthly fee and what each hour really earns when the client uses less, or more.

Price my retainerWhat you get

The freelance retainer pricing calculator

The worked example is a six-month social media retainer for a dental office. Nothing you type leaves this browser.

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What you get

Vocations · Professional DevelopmentFree

What you finish with
The monthly fee, the month’s bill with any overage, the effective hourly rate, the contract value, the difference from hourly billing and a table of four levels of use. It prints as a summary for the proposal.
Who it is for
Freelancers and contractors turning a regular client into a monthly agreement, and adults running a service business on the side.
Format
Browser calculator for a phone, tablet or computer, by touch or keyboard. Prints a summary; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); export and import a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Professional Development space in Caveat Vocations.
Support
Questions, a correction or a request: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Type the hours a month and your rate.
  2. Set a modest discount.
  3. Type the hours really used.
  4. Price extra hours above the rate.
  5. Put the rules in the agreement.

Price my retainer

How a retainer is priced

A fee for reserved time, with clear rules for unused and extra hours.

The worked example: a dental office’s social mediaIncluded20 ha monthAt the rate$1,30020 × $65Less 10%$1,170the monthly feeUsed 16 h$73/hearned an hourThe worked example: a dental office’s social mediaIncluded20 ha monthAt the rate$1,30020 × $65Less 10%$1,170the monthly feeUsed 16 h$73/hearned an hour
The fee is fixed by the included hours; the effective rate rises when the client uses fewer hours and falls back when they run over.

Why a discount at all

A retainer trades a lower hourly price for steady income you can plan around. Keep the discount small: the client gains priority and a fixed bill, and you still carry the risk of holding the hours open.

Unused and extra hours

Decide in writing whether unused hours roll over, and for how long. Hours past the retainer are usually billed at the full rate or a little above it, so a busy month does not turn into a discount. The table shows what each choice does to your hourly earnings.

Sources

  1. U.S. Small Business Administration. Manage your finances and plan for cash flow (sba.gov).
  2. Internal Revenue Service. Self-Employed Individuals Tax Center (irs.gov).
  3. U.S. Department of Labor. Employee or independent contractor classification under the Fair Labor Standards Act (dol.gov).
  4. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook, pay by occupation, for checking a rate against the market (bls.gov/ooh).

The figures are arithmetic on your own rate and hours; they do not set a market rate. Retainer income is self-employment income for federal tax. Your entries stay in this browser. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.