As of May 31, 2023, we have updated our Code of Conduct.

Questions tagged [billing]

Questions relating to invoices and monetary charge in return for completed freelance work.

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3 votes
2 answers
44 views

Should you send a detailed process of how you'll handle a project to the client?

I spoke with a client via chat, he sent me the project details and what he's looking for. Then I built my proposal, detailing every task and step of what I'll do, delivery time and budget needed, then ...
Cristóbal's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
118 views

Germany: Part-Time Freelance or Gewerbe? How to bill as a web dev?

This is especially directed at people who work in germany but I appreciate any insight. I have a full time position as a software engineer at a company which I want to keep but now I have the ...
Estarossa's user avatar
  • 221
6 votes
1 answer
101 views

How do I accept international payments using Stripe as an Individual?

I have recently started doing freelance work and received my first commission, I have completed my artwork and send a payment link using Stripe, but stripe seems to not accept international payments ...
Ak47's user avatar
  • 61
3 votes
1 answer
95 views

Should I bill for setting up my work computer that they sent me?

The company I'm billing sent me an Apple laptop which is necessary to do this job. Unfortunately, I've never owned one, so I had to buy a bunch of accessories to use it comfortably at work: a docking ...
ConsultingNewb's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
917 views

VAT included in a purchase order

I am a small business owner selling handmade products. I usually work on a 'sale or return' basis with local stockists but I have just received my first purchase order from a stockist who is buying my ...
Rachel's user avatar
  • 51
1 vote
2 answers
234 views

Clients wants me to "pay myself"

A client I've worked with in the past who has a habit of paying my invoices on the late side just sent me a photo of their credit card and told me to pay myself "so I don't have to chase them ...
MicroMachine's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
33 views

Hosting management should be on the name of who? Customer's or our? [duplicate]

As a freelancer web designer should handle with the hosting management of a customer's site? When we manage it the hosting plan contract should be on the customer's name or on our one? If the hosting ...
Jorge Luiz's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
139 views

Best practice for invoicing when working onsite

Most of the freelance projects I take on involve working remotely, for a fixed price. I'll then take a deposit before starting work and invoice for the rest on completion. However on occasion I find ...
user avatar
6 votes
4 answers
642 views

Should I charge the client when I get stuck on stupid mistakes

I work for a client for a few hours a week as a freelance web developer. I'm a mid level developer, but sometimes I make easy stupid mistakes, like spending around 35mins wondering why the addon I ...
Cayenne's user avatar
  • 71
3 votes
1 answer
129 views

Is it fair to charge client for FontAwesome pro license as development charges?

I have to develop a simple presentation website. I own a Pro License of FontAwesome which I used in the application. I didn't subscribed to the license for the website specifically, but is it fair ...
Sixteen's user avatar
  • 131
5 votes
1 answer
128 views

Side project as a separate Limited Company or under existing Consultancy Business - UK

I operate an IT consultancy business under the structure of UK VAT registered Limited Company. There is at least one side project of my own I would like to work on between client projects, that will ...
andy mccullough's user avatar
4 votes
3 answers
193 views

Getting paid per hour, per week or per project?

I have been working as a freelancer for a few months, providing R&D services for small companies. My preferred mode of collaboration is billing per project, which usually lasts a few weeks. It ...
Roger Vadim's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
138 views

Can a client deduct additional work from my price?

I finished a recent website project which took too much time for a low price. I delivered the project completed (without excluding potential minor bugs). After delivery, they informed me of something ...
AymDev's user avatar
  • 113
4 votes
2 answers
170 views

As a solo, freelance, web developer/designer, should I bill for project management?

In most of my freelance/contract work, I've been hired to work on a team of other contractors or temporarily as part of an in-house team. The company hiring me has always taken care of the project ...
Daveh0's user avatar
  • 211
1 vote
1 answer
116 views

How to give client a bill for service performend half a year ago?

Around half a year ago, I performed a freelancing service for a client worth just a few hundred dollars. I did it as an individual and he paid me as a company, but I planned(and told him about it) on ...
Nema Ga's user avatar
  • 111
7 votes
1 answer
572 views

What to do when a client cancels project 1 day before delivery?

I learned a valuable lesson today the hard way. I know what to do in the future, but for right now, I want to know what my options are for collecting payment, and maybe some advice on how not to get ...
Rosemary 's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
1k views

Do you bill for time waiting for client to respond within a single shift/day?

I do motion graphics and editing. A lot of my "time" is waiting for the client to respond to the last version I sent, or to answer a question about how to proceed. Client is claiming I should only ...
Dan's user avatar
  • 121
1 vote
2 answers
250 views

Pricing as freelance iOS Dev

So I'm about to land my first client as freelance iOS developer. I did my research but didn't believe how much I could actually price, and ended up charging too low. Reasons are because I had no idea ...
AnonProgrammer's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
100 views

Should my client contribute towards mandatory equipment

I will soon be starting an iOS application for a long time client. For the past year I have used an iPhone 5 for my testing of APNS, GPS, etc. The iPhone 5 will not support the new iOS 11 operating ...
theblindprophet's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
122 views

Minimum number of hours

Is it common for freelancers to have a minimum number of hours they will bill? If so what is the minimum number of hours? I bill hourly in 1/2 hour increments, but I have not set a minimum number of ...
Kimball's user avatar
  • 119
3 votes
4 answers
186 views

Including Extra Work as 100% Discounted Hours

I just completed a project and ended up going about 20 hours over on a 39 hour project. I allowed some scope creep because my contract was not that bulletproof and I didn't feel it was worth the ...
Adam Thompson's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
81 views

How to charge for variable recurring services?

I'm writing a proposal to do some recurring work for a client. I'll be selling them services, packaged into a unit, and they may need none, or several of these units in any given month. The question ...
dakota's user avatar
  • 31
2 votes
1 answer
66 views

Net D billing as a freelancer

I recently started doing freelance work for a small-to-medium sized company. Per the terms of the agreement, on April 1 I submitted an invoice for all of my hours for March. We never discussed due ...
Charlie Stanard's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
154 views

When is a job too small for meetings?

As a graphic designer, not all of the jobs I take on are that big. A lot of the time it may just be a couple days work. But I find a lot of clients want to meet up to discuss the project in detail. I'...
user avatar
1 vote
4 answers
195 views

How to invoice for regular payments

For a regular service fee (i.e. website maintanance, fixing bugs, keeping it online etc), what is the best way to charge and invoice? Assuming I bill $50 monthly, should I ask for 6 months upfront to ...
Tom's user avatar
  • 189
2 votes
2 answers
93 views

Billing Work from Home Long Running Task

I am working from home this weekend. I am a developer and I have created a program that purges records at the click of a button. The entire process take after clicking about 12 hours to complete. I ...
EJD's user avatar
  • 123
1 vote
3 answers
774 views

How to notify a client of costs that increase beyond the estimate

Let's say I'm making a website for a client. We sit down and scope it out, try and define everything in the project. The total comes to $1000. I work on the site for a week or two, but there is some ...
Tom's user avatar
  • 189
-2 votes
2 answers
84 views

Helping a client get what they deserve from their ISP

EDIT: Move on, this was a stupid question. Don't let a client's relationship to another client's get in your way: be clear, and direct, as usual especially regarding getting paid. And don't ask stupid ...
Rick Page's user avatar
6 votes
3 answers
3k views

Charging for meetings/conference calls with a client

I am recently hired as a freelancer for a software dev company, which will potentially lead to a FT position. Question: Should I bill for the hours spent consulting with the client facing portion? I.E....
Stanley VM's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
347 views

Advice writing my first SLA

I have been a web developer for quite a few years now, all my clients being acquaintances or similar. I now have a more formal client that I have recently created a website for. They are interested in ...
jonboy's user avatar
  • 123
5 votes
1 answer
1k views

How to bill client for rendering time?

I have a client who is having me produce a promotional video. I bill this client hourly for work I perform for them. As the video nears completion, it's getting to the point where it takes 15 minutes ...
user45623's user avatar
  • 1,660
0 votes
1 answer
238 views

Need help with moral dilemma of first client [closed]

Sorry in advance for the long read. I'm 22 years old and just finished university for graphic design. I was approached by a small business which wanted me to design them a logo, stationary and a ...
ccc's user avatar
  • 103
3 votes
2 answers
221 views

If I am working on an hourly project with variable hours per week and I am blocked on a task, should I bill for the time spent blocked?

Background I am a designer with a previous background in software development, and I'm currently working on projects for two clients as well as side projects. Both of the client projects are hourly. ...
David's user avatar
  • 817
0 votes
1 answer
678 views

Underestimated project: Do you charge the excess time?

Are there times that you've given a quote to a client and underestimated it? And also took you 1.5 more than the hours you have estimated? If you are in the situation do bill the client of the time? ...
JohnnyQ's user avatar
  • 327
0 votes
2 answers
246 views

Having clients abroad as a LLC

I have a California-based LLC through which I provide design services. If a company in France wanted to pay me for these services, would that be possible? And what would be a good way to: -Bill them ...
MicroMachine's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
588 views

Should I use UpWork.com for payments so that I can build profile on Upwork/Elance as it will show hours I worked?

I have a startup outsourcing company and I got my client through a friend reference. My client has hired three developers in my company so he is paying me for his three projects. He has hired our ...
CodeSync's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
451 views

How to handle computer processing time when billing client?

I have a small consulting business that specializes in digital image processing, remote sensing, and workflow automation (using mainly Python, Matlab, R). I have an hourly rate that takes into account ...
Borealis's user avatar
  • 171
1 vote
2 answers
76 views

New to billing and estimation of medium to large sized projects for NPO

I'm a 15 year veteran of web design and front end development, with a couple years of Rails experience under my belt. Currently I am focusing on forming my own development company, and have landed ...
Gabrial MacLeod's user avatar
12 votes
8 answers
602 views

How am I supposed to bill the company?

I am working from home(Turkey) and the company I am working is based in Switzerland. I am not an employee of this company. I think this is called free-lance working, I am not sure. We do not have any ...
user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
99 views

Billing Hourly - Include Client Specific Research and Communication?

A client hired me to research and recommend workstation setups for a group of employees, each of whom had unique needs. They had already purchased some equipment and needed to make sure everything ...
hvert's user avatar
  • 121
3 votes
3 answers
2k views

How do you bill for on-site work? What do clients expect?

I often do on-site software training for my clients. When I do this, I typically bill a daily or half-day rate. My "half-day only" rate is about 65% of my daily rate because even though I'm only ...
Emily's user avatar
  • 1,356
5 votes
2 answers
94 views

What are best practices around billing for the initial consultation?

A former colleague contacted me about purchasing and setting up equipment for her company. We agreed to scope and an hourly rate via email. I met with her on location to physically inspect the area ...
hvert's user avatar
  • 121
17 votes
7 answers
1k views

How to know when you are a competent enough programmer to charge clients

I'm quite a solid front-end developer with a solid hourly rate. Everything seems to be fine except one thing; about 4 months ago I discovered that I have to skip 9 out of 10 jobs for Front End ...
fyndevogel's user avatar
9 votes
3 answers
1k views

As a contractor, should I own the GitHub repo until final payment?

I know a contractor generally owns the code being developed until final payment from the client. If using GitHub, does this mean the contractor should pay for a private repo on GitHub, work on the ...
user avatar
4 votes
4 answers
252 views

Clients ask quick jobs, how to bill

So I have been doing websites as freelancer now for some time. Couple clients likes to do small scale development now and then to their site, which is great but the problem is that they have always ...
user995317's user avatar
15 votes
3 answers
14k views

How to setup client ownership of domain name and hosting

I'm starting out as a small web design and development business. I'd prefer that after I launch a site for a client, they then own and be responsible for the management and recurring payment of their ...
KodeKreachor's user avatar
4 votes
5 answers
428 views

How to increase productivity when invoicing?

I am a freelance translator who has found himself losing a substantial amount of time to billing. My current method is to use Excel templates, which is very inefficient because I still have to tab ...
emaltman's user avatar
  • 159
15 votes
3 answers
2k views

Which is the most honest or ethical way to bill, hourly or fixed price?

I ran into an interesting discussion below this question regarding ethics in billing. Where I think hourly billing is the most transparent way to bill, the other side has written, extensively I ...
user3244085's user avatar
  • 1,629