How Much To Charge For Freelance Software Engineering Consulting?
So I’ve been working a regular 9-5 since I’ve finished my degree, but I’ve been asked on several occasions if I would do some freelance work.
I’d be happy to do the work, but I’m not sure what to charge. It would be for web-related software engineering work (PHP, CSS, XHTML, etc.). What would be a reasonable hourly rate to charge?
Depends on your location, your skill level, and the size of your client. Generally, if you’re straight out of college, you’re not going to have a lot of references or much in your portfolio–outside of school work–to show a potential client, so you may have trouble getting top dollar.
I’d shoot for around $50/hr starting out. Most people will ask you to make an estimate for a job instead of taking you on hourly. Take the amount of time you think it will require, double it, and multiply times $50–with luck, you’ll break even in the end.
As demand for your services grows, you can raise your rates.