What to charge for your first freelance project

What do you charge for your first freelance project? If you're new to freelancing, figuring out your rates can feel overwhelming. While there's no one-size-fits-all answer, plenty of creatives have already navigated those first awkward pricing conversations. We asked animator Jessica Hislop, photographer Owen Harvey and copywriter Nicola West how they priced their first projects – and what they'd recommend to anyone just starting out.

So you've landed your first freelance project – congratulations. Then comes the question almost every freelancer dreads: "What's your rate?"

There's no universal answer. What you charge depends on your discipline, experience, the client, the scope of work and even where you're based. That uncertainty is exactly why pricing your first project can feel overwhelming.

Rather than giving you a magic number, we asked three experienced freelancers how they priced their earliest jobs, what they'd do differently now and the advice they'd give anyone just starting out.

What should you consider before sending your first freelance quote?

While their approaches differ, Jessica, Owen and Nicola agree on a few key principles:

Jessica Hislop on being structured enough to switch it up

Brighton-based animator, illustrator and motion designer Jessica Hislop has been freelancing full-time for around three years. Figuring out what to charge, however, wasn't something she got right immediately.

Key takeaway: Build a pricing structure that works for you, be honest about timelines and don't let panic determine your quote.

It's normal to hit the panic button

"When I pitched my first project as a lone wolf, I think I literally pulled a number out of thin air. They wanted a two-minute animation with a scene where a crowd of 20 characters walk around – but at the time, I was scared of animating lots of characters. So I just panicked and sent a number that was embarrassingly high," Jessica recalls. "They did not respond, which was understandable. I now realise they didn’t actually want 20 distinct characters – they just wanted it to feel busy, and I’d charged way too high."

Looking back, Jessica says the experience taught her not to let uncertainty drive her pricing.

Set a baseline that can accommodate client needs

It took Jessica a few projects to develop a pricing structure that worked for different clients and budgets.

"I now send very specific cost breakdowns so that clients can see exactly which parts of the project I’m charging for, and I also discuss what they require versus what they don’t. For example, if they’re not sure about whether they want special effects, I leave SFX as an optional add-on. Or if they’re considering whether they need follow-ups in the future, I suggest that I can make further amendments at an extra charge when the time comes. This gives the client more options and makes the pricing process really clear to them."

She's also upfront when a timeline is difficult to estimate.

"For instance, sometimes it’s hard to estimate how long a piece of work may take," says Jessica. "If I’m not sure if it’s going to be a full day, a half day, or a couple of hours, I’ll flag it to the client and discuss the timeline. That gives them a heads-up, and usually they’re fine with me just letting them know once I’ve completed it. Having an honest chat with clients will go much further than pinging random numbers at them."

Work within your own boundaries

For creatives just starting out, Jessica recommends setting both a day rate and an hourly rate that reflects the value of shorter jobs.

"There’s a lot of conflicting advice online about what you should be charging – but honestly, the best advice I have is to be flexible while also working with what you’re comfortable with," she says. "You can’t win them all, some requests will be super low and there’s no wiggle room. That’s okay, sometimes that happens. Just work within the boundaries that you set yourself."

Owen Harvey's website

Owen Harvey on ditching guesswork

Award-winning photographer Owen Harvey has freelanced for more than a decade, but his first paid project started unexpectedly while working in a photography lab.

Key takeaway: Ask about the client's budget before you quote. It takes the guesswork out of pricing and helps set expectations early.

Get a foot in the door first (literally)

"I think my very first freelance project was probably shooting antiques for a collector at his home in West London," Owen says. "I was working for a printing and processing lab at the time, and they would regularly be asked to scan or photograph large antique items for customers intending to archive or sell them. The company didn't have a photography department, so I started giving these customers the phone number of a ‘freelance photographer’ to get in touch with."

That freelance photographer was Owen himself.

"I think I started with quoting around £250. At the time, that was more than my day rate working at the lab, so I was pretty happy with the fee."

As more work came in, he realised there wasn't one fixed rate that worked for every client.

"I was having to work out what people were willing to pay and what I was willing to do the work for. It was a lot of guesswork at first."

Determine the true value of your work

Today, Owen tries to remove that guesswork by understanding the client's budget before sending a quote.

"If you can, it's always best to try to get a ballpark figure of the client’s budget before quoting. This helps you price competitively and save time with negotiations, because you won’t be quoting way over budget or realising too late that it’s a very low fee and not reflective of the workload."

As his career has developed into commercial photography, his pricing has evolved too.

"I consider my day rate a flat fee for my time and expertise. But I also account for my usage fee," he says.

"Usage can seem like a mysterious cost, often made up on a project by project basis after gauging how much money the client has," Owen says. "If you’re a freelance photographer who is just starting to get advertising enquiries, there are people who can support this process, like Bangerz&Nash or Our Friend Tim," he suggests. "Also, feel free to reach out to a photography agency – it's a good way to connect with them if you're looking for representation and they can offer quoting and production support on larger jobs."

Know your worth and build your network

"Value the work you do. As a freelancer, you’ve worked hard as well as invested your own time and money in your skillset and equipment. So understand your worth."

"Build a friendship group within your industry and talk openly about fees. Money shouldn't be an uncomfortable discussion. It's something we all need in order to live."

Nicola West on figuring it out as you go

Copywriter Nicola West has freelanced for more than nine years across editorial, marketing and social media. Her first freelance client came through a startup workshop.

Key takeaway: A good quote isn't just a price. Define what's included, get it in writing and consider asking for a deposit.

Clients are just as up-and-coming as you are

"I met my first client at a series of workshops for startups. It was actually a great place to meet new clients – there were lots of people who needed comms and marketing support," Nicola remembers. "There, I met the business owner of a new graphic design company and was tasked to create and deliver a social media plan for them."

Having never freelanced before, Nicola based her pricing on the average London freelance day rate at the time and broke the project into individual stages.

"I worked out roughly how much time it would take me to do each part of the project and created a quote that assigned a fee to each of them. I also clarified expectations on paper, including how many rounds of changes I would allow for, and my policy on late payments," she recalls.

"It was a lot of work – even before I’d started on the work itself! But it was so worth it. I find that this approach creates a deeper commitment from the client as they know what the expectations are from the start."

Go back to basics

As her workload grew, Nicola admits she became more relaxed about quotes and contracts.

"To be honest, creating bespoke quotes for every client is a very time-consuming process, which isn’t easy when your workload picks up. I’ve since kept things more casual, often just agreeing a day rate without a full quote or contract. ​But there are problems with that too. For the first time in my freelance career, I’ve experienced problems with payments and shifting expectations."

Her advice now is to make expectations clear from the outset.

"Be really clear from the start. There’s no harm in overstating what you think is obvious – because in my experience, people aren’t always thinking the same thing," says Nicola. She suggests that your quote should outline what your deliverables are, how long they will take, how many changes you will include and any other expectations.

"I’ve learnt that charging a 50% deposit up front makes the client have a sense of responsibility and personal commitment to the project. When I haven’t charged deposits, I’ve had clients decide mid-project that they no longer want to continue because they’re interested in something else."

Keep it human

"On one hand, it’s a very competitive environment and you need to consider how much value and return on investment the client will make from the work. On the other hand, you have to charge fairly for your time – not just the time it takes to write, but also the time it takes for thinking, planning, researching, editing. So there needs to be this balance between charging fairly and charging what a client is willing to pay."

"Personally, I don’t like discussing numbers verbally," Nicola says. "If you say a price on the phone, the client is only hearing a number, not necessarily what they get from it, and there could be misunderstandings. At the same time, it’s important to speak to the client so they see you as a real person and not some faceless content machine. So I often clarify what their needs are in a conversation and then follow up with the quote in an email."

Finding a happy medium

If there's one thing all three freelancers agree on, it's that there isn't a single "correct" rate for your first freelance project.

Your pricing will evolve as your confidence, experience and client list grow. What's most important is having a clear process: research what others in your field charge, understand the client's needs, define exactly what's included and don't be afraid to ask questions before you quote.

Your first price won't be perfect — and it doesn't need to be. The goal is to build a pricing approach that values both your work and your time.