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What I bill for, and what I don't

A plain accounting of what goes on the invoice, what is folded into the rate, and why that line matters more than the rate itself.

June 27, 20244 min read
careerfreelancebusiness

Every rate conversation I’ve had with a client eventually turns into a conversation about scope, and every scope disagreement I’ve had traces back to an ambiguous line between “included” and “billable.” Writing the boundary down before the contract is signed has saved more relationships than any rate increase ever did.

The short list: discovery calls are free up to a point, revisions within spec are folded into the estimate, and anything that changes the actual scope gets its own line item before I start on it, not after.

Longer version, with the exact language I use, coming soon.

Alexander Talaat
Washington, D.C.

Full-stack developer and WordPress architect writing about headless CMS, Next.js and AI-assisted builds.

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