Estimate realistic billable hours after sales, admin, leave, and training. Divide required income and operating costs across those hours, then review the result against your skill, scope, and market evidence. Do not assume every working hour can be invoiced.
Start with the billable hours you can realistically sell in a month, not every working hour. Account for leave, administration, client calls, software, equipment, tax obligations, and time spent finding work. Test the rate against the scope and client type you serve. Quote a project fee when the output is clear, and use hourly billing where changing requirements make a fixed scope unfair.
Set aside time for unpaid administration when estimating billable capacity, and revisit the rate when that workload grows.
Include meetings, administration, revisions, and unexpected messages when estimating a retainer. Tell the client how extra hours are approved and reported. Review actual time after the first month and adjust scope before the workload becomes unmanageable.
For work with uncertain scope, consider milestones or a defined project fee instead. Explain your pricing method and deliverables on a KobStore profile; create one and invite a scoped enquiry.
