Project quote calculator
Phases and hours in, a fixed price out. Buffer where the risk is, revisions as a line, expenses at cost, and a payment schedule you can paste into the proposal.
Last updated 17 October 2026
How the quote is built
Hours per phase, plus a buffer on those hours, plus the revision rounds you include, times your rate. Expenses on top at cost or with a small markup. A rush surcharge if the timeline is theirs, not yours. Then the total is rounded up to a clean number, because $4,850 reads like a price and $4,837.50 reads like a calculation.
Two things this does on purpose that most "project budget" calculators do not. The buffer goes on the hours, because the hours are what you are unsure about; your rate already has your profit in it, so a second "profit margin" line on top would charge for profit twice. And revisions are a line of their own, because a quote that says "two rounds included, more at $90 an hour" is the sentence that stops scope creep before it starts.
Which buffer
| Situation | Buffer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Done this type of job several times, clear brief | 20% | Your estimates are usually 10 to 20% low even here |
| New type of work, new client, or a long project | 35% | Unknown tools, unknown feedback style, more meetings |
| Brief is vague, client "will know it when they see it" | 50% | Or quote a paid discovery phase and price the rest after |
After five projects, compare estimated hours with tracked hours and replace these with your own number. Most freelancers find they run 25 to 40% over on fixed-price work until they start tracking.
What the client sees
- Phases and what each delivers, not hours. Hours invite a negotiation about hours.
- One price per phase or one total, rounded. Itemise when phases can be dropped, give one number when they cannot.
- Revisions: how many rounds, what a round is, and the rate for more.
- Expenses as a separate line, marked estimated where they are.
- The payment schedule: deposit, milestones, final. The deposit is the test of whether the client pays invoices.
- What is not included. Put it in the scope of work and attach it to the quote.
Fixed price, hourly, or retainer
Fixed price when the scope is clear and you have done it before: you keep the upside of working fast. Hourly when the scope is open or the client changes direction weekly: they carry the risk, you bill the time (billable hours calculator). Retainer when the work is ongoing: a monthly fee for a set number of hours, quoted with this same arithmetic once per month. The mistake is a fixed price on an open scope, and it is the most common one.
Questions people ask
How do I price a freelance project?
Break it into phases, estimate hours per phase, add a buffer to the hours (20 to 30 percent for work you have done before, more for new ground), multiply by your rate, add expenses and the revision rounds you include, then round up to a clean number. Quote that as a fixed price with a deposit and milestones. The hours stay internal; the client sees phases and totals.
Should the buffer go on the hours or on the price?
On the hours. The thing you are uncertain about is how long the work takes, not what your rate is. Putting 20 percent on the hours and then 20 percent profit margin on the price, as some calculators do, double counts: your hourly rate already contains your profit. A buffer on hours also gives you a number you can defend if a client asks how the price was built.
How much buffer should I add?
20 percent for work you have done several times with a clear brief. 30 to 40 percent for a new type of project, a new client, or a vague brief. 50 percent when the client has not decided what they want yet, or quote a paid discovery phase first and price the rest after it. Track your actual hours against the estimate; after five projects your personal number replaces these.
How many revision rounds should a quote include?
Two is the usual number for design and copy, one for development. Write it into the quote with what a round means (one consolidated list of changes), and price extra rounds at your hourly rate. Unlimited revisions is how a 40-hour project becomes an 80-hour one at the same price.
What deposit should I ask for?
30 to 50 percent before work starts, the rest at milestones or on delivery. 50 percent for new clients and short projects, 30 percent with a milestone in the middle for longer ones. A client who will not pay a deposit is telling you how the final invoice will go.
Should I show the hours to the client?
Usually not. Show phases, what each delivers, and a price per phase or one total. Hours invite negotiation of the hours rather than the outcome. Keep the hourly breakdown for yourself to check the estimate afterwards, and quote hourly only for open-ended work like retainers or maintenance.
How do I quote expenses like stock photos, fonts or hosting?
List them as a separate line, at cost or with a small markup (10 to 15 percent) for the time spent buying and managing them. Say which are estimates. If the client would rather buy them directly, let them; it keeps the expense off your invoice and your tax return.
Keep going
Scope of work generator Hourly rate calculator Contract template Free invoice generator Billable hours calculator Late fee calculatorEstimate next to actual, on every project
Go Lancer tracks the hours per phase, shows where the quote was right and where it was not, and sends the deposit and milestone invoices for you. Built with 100+ freelancers.