How to Raise Your Freelance Rates (Email Script + Steps)

By Cedar & Ledger

Raising your rate is one of the fastest ways for a freelancer to earn more without working more hours, and one of the most put-off. Most of the worry is about how to say it. This guide covers how to pick the new number, how much notice to give, a short email you can adapt, and what to do if a client says no.

Every dollar figure here is a made-up example to show the math, not a recommended rate. This is general information, not business, legal or financial advice.

Quick checklist

• ☐ Check what you earn per hour now, after time you don't bill
• ☐ Pick the new rate and the date it starts
• ☐ Work out how many hours you could lose and still come out ahead
• ☐ Start with new clients
• ☐ Give current clients notice in writing
• ☐ Keep the email short and don't over-explain
• ☐ Decide ahead what you'll do if a client says no
• ☐ Update your quotes, invoices and rate sheet

The steps below walk through each one.

Step 1: Check what you actually earn per hour

Add up what you were paid last month and divide by every hour you worked, including emails, revisions and admin you didn't bill. That number is often much lower than your rate. How to Set Your Freelance Hourly Rate (Example Numbers) shows how to work out the floor you need to cover taxes, costs and time off.

Step 2: Pick the new rate and a start date

Pick one clear number and a date, like the first of a month four to six weeks away. Many freelancers raise rates once a year, or when they're booked up, or when the work has grown beyond what they first quoted. Check your contracts too: if a client has a signed agreement with a set rate or term, the new rate may need to wait until that ends.

Step 3: Work out how much work you could lose and still come out ahead

A higher rate can mean a client or two leaves. It helps to know how many hours you could lose before you'd earn less.

Example (made-up numbers): you charge $40 an hour and bill 25 hours a week, about 48 weeks a year (1,200 hours, $48,000). At $45 an hour, the same 1,200 hours would be $54,000, $6,000 more. To earn less than before at $45, you'd have to lose more than about 11% of your billed hours (1 − 40 ÷ 45 ≈ 0.111), which is more than about 133 hours a year, or about 2.8 hours a week.

So if one small client who books 2 hours a week leaves, you'd still be ahead, with 2 more free hours to fill. You can try your own numbers with the free price increase calculator.

Step 4: Start with new clients

The easiest place to start is new work. Quote every new client at the new rate from now on. Nobody has to be told anything, and you'll quickly learn whether the new rate gets turned down more often.

Step 5: Give current clients notice in writing

For current clients, send a short email with the new rate and the date it starts. Four to six weeks is common notice, and 30 days is a reasonable minimum. Don't spring it on a client on an invoice.

Example email (adapt it to you):

Subject: Rate update starting March 1

Hi Sam,

Thanks for the steady work this year. I'm writing to let you know that starting March 1, my rate will be $45 an hour (up from $40). Anything booked before then stays at the current rate.

I've really enjoyed working on your projects and I hope to keep going. If you have any questions, just reply here.

Thanks, Alex

That's enough. You don't need to list your costs or apologize.

Step 6: Decide ahead what you'll do if a client says no

Some clients will accept, some will ask questions and a few may push back. Decide your answer before you send the email, while you're calm. Some options:

• Keep the new rate and offer to help them through the change, or recommend someone else.
• Give a long-time client a later start date, like three months instead of one.
• Adjust what's included instead of the rate, like fewer revision rounds or a smaller monthly package.

Whatever you pick, try to keep it consistent, so every client is treated about the same.

Step 7: Update everything

Change the rate on your quote template, invoice template and any rate sheet or website, and note the start date for each client so the first invoice after the date uses the new rate. How to Write a Freelance Quote (Example Estimate) has a quote layout to update.

Common snags

• Burying it in an invoice. Tell clients before the work, not after.
• Over-explaining. A long list of reasons invites a negotiation.
• Raising rates only on new clients forever. Current clients can end up paying a lot less than everyone else for the same work.
• Giving no date. A rate change with no start date tends to never start.

A simple way to track it

A notebook or a notes app works if you write down every invoice and payment. If you'd like a head start, the Freelancer Invoice + Client Tracker ($9, Excel and Google Sheets) has a printable invoice with hours and rate on each line, an invoice log where status shows Paid, Open or Overdue, a clients tab with billed, paid and outstanding per client, and a dashboard. It doesn't work out your rate for you, and it doesn't send emails or take payments (details).

Honest note: I make these templates and sell them under Cedar & Ledger, so I'd earn from a purchase. General information only, not business, legal or financial advice.

Related template: read about the freelancer invoice template

See all Cedar & Ledger templates