Free Project Quote Calculator

Freelance Project Quote Calculator

Turn an hours estimate into a confident fixed-price quote — with a revision buffer, your margin, and a deposit split.

A good quote isn't just hours × rate. It adds a buffer for revisions and scope creep, a profit margin on top of your labour, and a clear deposit so you're not funding the work yourself. Enter your numbers below to build one in seconds.

Project inputs

$

Your base billable rate.

Your honest scope estimate.

Typical project with some unknowns (×1.25).

15%
0%contingency50%
20%

Added on top of labour + buffer.

50%

Share of the quote you collect upfront before starting.

Your quote

Project quote

Recommended fixed price

$5,175

Deposit

$2,588

Balance

$2,588

Effective hourly

Quote ÷ estimated hours

$129

How it adds up

Base labour (rate × hours)$3,000
Complexity adjustment$750
Revision buffer$563
Profit margin$863
Total quote$5,175
Send this as a real proposal

Turn the number into a branded proposal — free in LancerWise.

How to price a freelance project

Fixed-price quotes win more work than hourly — clients like certainty — but they're risky if you just multiply hours by your rate. A defensible quote builds in the things that actually eat your profit: revisions, scope creep, complexity, and a margin for the business itself.

How this calculator builds your quote

It starts with base labour (your rate × estimated hours), multiplies by a complexity factor for risk and unknowns, adds a revision buffer for feedback rounds and small scope creep, then adds your profit margin on top. The result is a fixed price that protects you when a “quick” project turns out not to be.

Why take a deposit

Starting work with nothing upfront means you're financing the client. A deposit — commonly 30–50% — covers your early time, filters out non-serious clients, and sets the expectation that work follows payment. The calculator splits your quote into a deposit and a balance due on delivery.

Project quote FAQ

How is the quote calculated?
Base labour (your rate × estimated hours) × a complexity multiplier, plus a revision buffer, plus your profit margin. The total is split into a deposit and a balance.
Isn't my hourly rate already my profit?
Your hourly rate pays you for your time. The margin is the business's profit on top — it covers risk, overhead, and the value you deliver beyond raw hours. Even at a healthy rate, a 10–25% margin keeps fixed-price work from going underwater on a bad estimate.
How big should the deposit be?
For most freelance projects, 30–50% upfront is standard. Larger or longer projects often use milestone payments. The deposit covers your early work and confirms the client is committed before you start.
Should I quote fixed-price or hourly?
Fixed price suits well-defined scopes and is easier for clients to approve; hourly suits open-ended or fast-changing work. This tool builds a fixed price, but the effective-hourly figure lets you sanity-check it against your rate.
What does the complexity multiplier do?
It scales the labour cost for risk and unknowns. Simple, familiar work stays at ×1.0; a typical project with some unknowns is ×1.25; high-risk or novel work is ×1.6. It's a quick way to price uncertainty instead of absorbing it.

From quote to signed deal

LancerWise turns your quote into a branded proposal, contract, and invoice — so the number you calculate here is the number you actually get paid.

Get started free

Free plan available — no credit card required.