Money and pricing
Setting rates, margins and markups, and what things really cost.
How much should you raise your freelance rates?
Most freelancers raise rates by 10-25%, but rarely explain why. Here's how much to raise yours, when to do it, and how to tell clients.
Is Outlier AI legit? Pay, privacy and complaints
It's a real company that pays, but unpaid time, empty queues and strict terms can cost you. What its pay, privacy complaints and reviews show.
1099 threshold 2026: what changed for freelancers
Clients now send a form only at $2,000, and payment apps only above $20,000. What that changes for you, and the tax you still owe without a form.
Can ChatGPT do bookkeeping? We tested it
We gave ChatGPT 30 transactions five times. It never mistook a tax payment for an expense, but its results ran from a $737 loss to a $2,406 profit.
ChatGPT Business vs Plus: is the upgrade worth it?
Billed yearly, a Business seat costs the same as Plus, but you need two seats. How the plans compare on price, limits, privacy and who owns your chats.
AI fake receipts: how to spot one before you pay
AI can fake the creases and the faded ink, but it often gets the tax wrong. Six checks that catch fake receipts, how common they've become, and the controls that work.
Can ChatGPT make an invoice? We tested it 5 times
We asked ChatGPT for the same invoice five times. Every total was right; none said how to pay, and each invented a different invoice number. What to add before you send one.
AI vs employee cost: is AI actually cheaper than hiring?
An AI seat costs $25 a month; the average US worker costs $46.89 an hour. Why AI wins per task but rarely per job, with a worked small-business example.
Will AI replace freelancers? What the pay data shows
Not wholesale. Routine writing, design and coding are getting fewer, cheaper jobs, while AI work earns 34% more per hour. What the research found, and what it means for your rates.
Is it worth paying for AI? Do the math first
A $20 plan breaks even in under an hour a month. The real questions are how much time goes on checking, and whether the hours you save become paid work.
Should you charge clients for AI tools?
Subscriptions belong in your rate. Usage one client's project runs up can be billed, at cost or with an agreed markup. The test, the maths and wording for your quote.
Should you charge less if you use AI?
If AI makes you faster and you bill by the hour, you earn less for the same result. Why the answer is to change how you price, not what you charge.
How much does an employee actually cost?
An employee costs 1.25 to 1.4 times their salary once employer taxes, benefits and overhead are counted. Here's where the extra money actually goes.
How to calculate loan payments (and what the numbers mean)
The monthly payment is just one number. Here is the formula for calculating loan payments, what changes when the variables shift, and what to check before you sign.
Break-even analysis: how to know if your business idea will work
Before you launch a product or service, you need to know how many units you have to sell before you make a single cent of profit. Here is how to run the numbers.
Profit margin vs markup: what is the difference and why it matters
Most small business owners confuse margin and markup, which leads to systematic underpricing. Here is how to tell the two apart and price your products correctly.
How to write a professional invoice that gets paid faster
A well-structured invoice reduces payment delays. Learn what to include, how to set clear payment terms, and what to do when a client is late.
Price it so it pays
Pricing tends to go wrong in the same places: rates that haven't moved in years, margins worked out the wrong way, and costs that turn out bigger than they looked. The posts here take each in turn, with the formulas and a worked example.
Start with your rates. How much to raise your freelance rates covers how much, when and how to tell clients. The usual range is 10% to 25%, closer to 10% for a routine yearly rise. Then check your margins. A 50% markup gives only a 33% profit margin, the mix-up that profit margin vs markup untangles, and break-even analysis shows how many sales it takes before you make any profit at all.
Costs are the easiest part to underestimate. In the US, an employee costs 1.25 to 1.4 times their base salary once payroll taxes, benefits and overhead are counted. AI vs employee cost shows why AI is far cheaper per task but rarely cheaper per job.
Work it out with your own numbers
Freelance hourly rate calculator
Find the minimum rate you need to charge as a freelancer.
Profit margin calculator
Cost, price, markup and margin in one place.
Markup calculator
Selling price, profit and margin from cost and markup — single or multiple items.
Break-even calculator
Units and revenue needed to cover your fixed costs.