You've finished your first portfolio samples, a client asks "What's your rate?", and you freeze. Type too low and you'll be overworked and resentful. Type too high with no proof and you'll hear nothing back. This guide gives you a method to land on a number you can defend, without guessing.
One caution first: no one can tell you what you will earn. Rates depend on your skill, your niche, the client and how much competition you face. Everything below is a way to think, and the numbers are hypothetical.
Start with your floor, not the market
Your floor is the lowest rate at which a job still makes sense for you. Work it out in naira first, because that's what you spend.
- List monthly costs: rent, food, transport, data, power (including fuel or inverter top-ups), family support, savings.
- Add tax and platform costs: platforms and payment services take cuts or charge fees, and these differ. Check the current terms on each platform's own site, then add a buffer.
- Estimate billable hours: you won't bill 8 hours a day. Searching for clients, writing proposals, revisions and power cuts eat time. Many beginners bill only 40 to 60 percent of the hours they work.
- Divide. Needed monthly income plus costs, divided by billable hours, gives your minimum hourly rate.
A worked example (hypothetical)
Say Ada, a beginner writer, needs ₦300,000 a month to cover living costs and savings. She adds 20 percent for fees, tax and slow months, giving ₦360,000. She works about 30 hours a week but expects only 15 to be billable, or around 60 a month.
₦360,000 ÷ 60 hours = ₦6,000 per billable hour. Convert that at the exchange rate you see on the day you check, using a realistic bank or app rate and not the headline one. That is her floor in dollars. She won't quote below it unless the job gives something else of real value, such as a strong portfolio piece.
The floor tells you what you need. It doesn't tell you what you can charge. That's the next step.
Check what the market pays
Look at what people with similar skills charge. Do this for 30 minutes, not three days.
- Browse freelancer profiles on platforms like Upwork or Fiverr in your exact niche, such as "product descriptions for e-commerce" and not just "writing". Note their rates, reviews and how many jobs they've completed.
- Read job posts that state budgets. They show what clients expect to pay.
- Ask in freelancer communities what beginners in your skill charge. Treat answers as rough hints, as people exaggerate.
Focus on freelancers with few reviews. They're your real competitors. Established profiles with hundreds of reviews charge for reputation you don't have yet.
Choose a pricing model
| Model | Best for | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly | Unclear scope, ongoing support, virtual assistant work | Slow work earns more but clients may distrust it; fast work earns less |
| Fixed price per project | Clear deliverables: a logo, a 1,000-word article, a landing page | Scope creep if you don't limit revisions |
| Per unit | Repeatable output: per word, per video minute, per post | Hard to price fairly for complex pieces |
| Monthly retainer | Clients who need steady work, such as 8 social posts a month | Hard to win as a beginner; usually comes after a good first project |
As a beginner, fixed price per project is usually the safest. It protects you from clients who watch the clock, and it rewards you as you get faster.
Turn your rate into a project price
Estimate honestly how long the task takes you, including research and one round of revisions. Multiply by your hourly rate, then add 20 to 30 percent as a buffer, since beginners underestimate.
Hypothetical: Ada thinks a 1,000-word article takes 3 hours. At ₦6,000 an hour that's ₦18,000. With a 25 percent buffer, ₦22,500. She converts that to dollars at the current rate, rounds to a clean number, and quotes it. If the market for similar beginners is higher than her floor, she can quote closer to the market. If the market is lower, she has a decision: skip those clients, or raise her speed and niche.
How to handle "that's too expensive"
- Reduce scope, not price. Offer a shorter piece or fewer revisions for a lower budget. Cutting your rate teaches the client your first number was inflated.
- Offer packages. A basic, standard and premium option lets clients choose and often anchors them to the middle.
- Know when to walk away. If the budget is below your floor, a polite "Thanks, that's outside my range right now" is fine.
A small discount for your first one or two clients is acceptable if you do it deliberately, in exchange for a review or testimonial. Say so in writing and state the normal rate, so it's clear the discount is temporary.
Common mistakes
- Pricing from your naira expectations. Clients pay for the value of the work in their market, not your cost of living. But your cost of living still sets your floor.
- Forgetting unpaid time. Proposals, calls and revisions all count.
- Underpricing to win jobs. Very low bids attract clients who pay late, dispute work or demand endless changes.
- Never raising rates. Review every three months or after five good jobs. Raise prices for new clients first.
- Ignoring payment costs. Receiving money has fees and conversion losses. Compare options before you quote.
- No written scope. State deliverables, number of revisions, deadline and payment terms in writing.
If a "client" asks you to overpay then refund the difference, or wants you to pay for software or training first, treat it as a scam. Our guide on spotting a fake remote job offer explains the patterns.
How your pricing changes with your situation
- Students with limited time: choose small fixed-price tasks and low-stress deadlines. Time is your constraint, not skill.
- Unstable power and data: build the cost of backup power and data into your floor, and never quote tight deadlines you can't guarantee. Add a day or two of buffer.
- Ghana, Kenya, South Africa: do the same floor calculation in your own currency and costs. Your floor will differ, and so may the tax and payment options available to you.
- Brand-new with no samples: build proof first. See how to build a freelance portfolio with no experience.
Since your income will probably be uneven, pair this with a plan like budgeting on an irregular income.
Frequently asked questions
Should I put my rate on my profile?
On marketplaces, you usually must. Elsewhere, quoting per project after you understand the job is better, since the same task can differ a lot in scope.
Is hourly or project pricing better on Upwork?
It depends on the job. Check how the platform tracks hours and protects payment in its own help pages, as rules change.
How often should I raise my rates?
Every few months, or when you're fully booked, or when you get several good reviews. Even a modest raise for new clients tests whether you were underpriced.
Should I quote in naira or dollars?
For foreign clients, quote in dollars so exchange-rate swings don't eat your pay. Know your naira floor so you can judge any offer.
Your next step
Tonight, calculate your floor with the formula above, then find five competitors with few reviews and note their prices. Write your first three quotes in a notebook so the next time someone asks your rate, you answer calmly.
Results from any side hustle or online work vary widely, and nothing here is a promise of income. Be wary of anyone who asks you to pay upfront to start earning.