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Retainer & Package Pricing Calculator
Retainers turn one-off projects into predictable monthly income. Start from your hourly rate, decide how many hours the retainer includes, and this tool builds the monthly price, an overage rate, and three ready-to-pitch tiers.
Suggested tiers
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How to price a freelance retainer
A retainer is a recurring fee for a defined block of work or access each month. Done well, it is the most reliable cure for feast-and-famine freelancing: you start each month with income already booked, instead of hunting for the next project.
Start from your hourly floor, then adjust
Work out your true hourly rate first with the rate calculator. The retainer price is that rate times the included hours, then adjusted. There are two ways to think about the adjustment:
- Small discount (5–15%): you trade a little per-hour revenue for guaranteed, predictable income and lower sales effort. Most freelancers land here.
- Premium (0 to +25%): if the retainer guarantees priority, faster turnaround, or reserved capacity, that certainty has real value to the client, and you should charge for it.
Always protect the scope
The classic retainer mistake is agreeing to unlimited work for a fixed fee. Define exactly what the included hours cover, and set an overage rate for anything beyond the block. That rate is usually higher than your base rate, because out-of-scope work is disruptive. State whether unused hours roll over (a small perk) or expire monthly (cleaner for you). Borrow a scope clause from the contract clause library.
Offer three tiers
With a single price, the client decides yes or no. With three tiers, the question becomes which one to choose. Most clients pick the middle, so make that tier the one you most want to sell. This calculator builds starter, standard, and pro tiers from your inputs. Adjust the hours to fit the real deliverables at each level.
Bill in advance
Retainers are normally invoiced at the start of the month, before the work begins. That advance payment is where the cash-flow benefit comes from. Set the expectation in writing, and use the invoice generator to send it.
Recurring retainers are easier with software that handles subscriptions and automatic monthly invoices. See our recommended invoicing tools →
Frequently asked questions
Should a retainer be cheaper than my hourly rate?
Often a little cheaper, as a reward for commitment and because it saves you sales time, but not always. If you are guaranteeing availability or priority, a premium is justified. Never discount so far that a full retainer earns less than the ad-hoc work it replaces.
What happens to unused hours?
That is up to you. The simplest and most common choice is that they expire each month. The friendlier option is to let them roll over for one month. Whichever you choose, write it into the agreement so there is nothing to argue about later.
How do I raise a retainer later?
Give notice (30–60 days), tie the increase to added value or scope, and apply it at a natural renewal point. Existing retainer clients are your most valuable relationships, so raise prices carefully and with plenty of warning rather than all at once.