Project Pricing Calculator
A fixed project price from estimated hours, your rate, a buffer for overruns, expenses and fees, with an optional deposit.
Your project
Filled in with example values. Replace them with your own.
Your estimate
Costs and fees
Optional
Split the price into an upfront deposit and a final balance.
Round the price
Currency symbol
Results update as you type.
Result
Project price: $4,105.26 (40 h at $80.00/h, 15% buffer)
Quote
$4,105.26
- If it takes exactly the estimateWhat each hour earns, before expenses
- $92.00 / h
- The buffer coversExtra hours at $80.00 an hour
- 6 h
What the price is made of
- Labour40 h × $80.00
- $3,200.00
- Buffer15% of labour
- $480.00
- ExpensesIncluding 10% markup
- $220.00
- Platform and payment fees5% of the price
- $205.26
- Project price
- $4,105.26
How it’s calculated
Labour
40 h × $80.00 = $3,200.00
Plus buffer
$3,200.00 × 15% = $480.00
Plus expenses
with 10% markup = $220.00
Before fees are taken
$3,900.00 ÷ (1 − 5%) = $4,105.26
How the project pricing calculator works
A fixed price turns an estimate of hours into one number. The calculator multiplies your estimated hours by your hourly rate, adds a buffer for overruns, adds any project expenses (with an optional markup), and then allows for the platform or payment fees taken from the price.
It also shows what each hour earns if the project takes exactly as long as estimated, how many extra hours the buffer covers, and how the price splits into a deposit and a final balance.
The formula
Labour = Estimated hours × Hourly rate
Buffer = Labour × Buffer %
Expenses = Project expenses × (1 + Markup %)
Price = (Labour + Buffer + Expenses) ÷ (1 − Fee %)
Deposit = Price × Deposit %
Worked example
A website redesign is estimated at 40 hours at 80 an hour, with a 15% buffer. It needs 200 of licences, passed on with a 10% markup, and the payment platform keeps 5%.
- Labour: 40 × 80 = 3,200
- Buffer: 3,200 × 15% = 480, which pays for 6 extra hours
- Expenses: 200 × 1.10 = 220
- Price: (3,200 + 480 + 220) ÷ 0.95 = 4,105.26, of which 205.26 goes in fees
- With a 50% deposit: 2,052.63 upfront and 2,052.63 on completion
If the work takes exactly 40 hours, each hour earns (3,200 + 480) ÷ 40 = 92, more than the 80 rate, because the unused buffer is kept.
Assumptions and limitations
- The price is only as good as the hour estimate. Break large projects into parts and estimate each one.
- Fees are a percentage of the price. Fixed per-payment charges are not included.
- Taxes such as sales tax or VAT are not added. Whether they apply depends on where you and your client are.
- “Up to 1” and “Up to 10” round the price up, never down; the extra is shown as its own line.
Frequently asked questions
What is the buffer for?
Estimates are rarely exact. The buffer adds a percentage of the labour cost to the price, so a project that runs over still pays for your time. The calculator shows how many extra hours it covers. If the work takes exactly the estimate, the buffer becomes extra earnings.
How big should the buffer be?
It depends on how well you know the work and how clear the brief is. Familiar, well-defined work needs less; new kinds of work or vague requirements need more. Comparing past estimates with the hours you actually spent is the best guide.
Should I mark up project expenses?
Some freelancers pass costs such as licences, stock assets or printing on at cost; others add a markup to cover the time spent buying and managing them. Either way, the calculator shows the expenses separately so you can explain the price.
Why are fees divided rather than added?
Platforms and payment providers take their percentage from the price the client pays. Dividing by (1 − fee) makes sure that what is left after the fee still covers your labour, buffer and expenses.
Is this the price I should quote?
It is the price that covers your estimate on your terms. The final quote also depends on the value of the work to the client and what similar work sells for, which a calculator cannot know.