Proofreading Rate Card Template
A rate card is not a price list you publish and defend forever. It is the internal structure you quote from, so that every job is priced the same way and the awkward cases, the rush job and the file that is much heavier than it looked, already have an answer rather than being negotiated from scratch each time.
See the coursesEverything on this page is yours to copy and adapt. The courses cover the decisions behind it: what to charge, what to promise, and what to put in writing.
What yours needs to cover
- ✓ A base rate derived from your own measured words per hour and your target hourly figure
- ✓ The conversion between per-word, per-page and per-hour, so a client can be quoted in their terms
- ✓ A heavy-text band for material that needs more than a proofread
- ✓ A rush multiplier, defined by a turnaround threshold rather than by mood
- ✓ A second-pass rate, priced separately because it is separate work
- ✓ A minimum charge, which is what makes very small jobs worth accepting at all
How to use it
- Work out your target hourly figure first, then derive everything else from it.
- Measure your real words per hour on the kind of text you actually intend to take.
- Set the bands as multipliers of the base rate, so raising the base raises everything coherently.
- Review it after twenty jobs against what those jobs actually earned per hour, and adjust.
A rate card is a pricing system, not a menu
Many new proofreaders set a single per-word rate and quote it for everything. That works until a rush job arrives, or a file needs twice the expected time, or a client wants a price per page. Each of those then becomes a negotiation from scratch, and the price you agree depends on how confident you feel that day.
A rate card solves this by setting out, in advance, how each kind of job is priced. It usually stays internal. You quote clients a figure in the form they prefer, but the figure comes from the same structure every time, so your pricing is consistent and you can explain it.
Building the card from your own figures
Begin with a target hourly figure. Work it out from what you need to cover: your living costs, taxes, software and insurance, and the fact that not every hour of your working week will be billable. The startup cost and income calculators on this site can help you reach a realistic number.
Next, apply your measured speed. If you proofread a particular kind of text at a certain number of words per hour, dividing your hourly figure by that speed gives a per-word rate, and multiplying by an average page length gives a per-page rate. Record all three so you can quote in whichever unit a client uses.
Then set the bands as multipliers of the base. A heavy-text band covers files that need more time per word. A rush multiplier applies below a defined turnaround, for example anything needed in under three working days. A second-pass rate covers a separate read of revised pages. Finally, set a minimum charge so that very short jobs still cover the time spent on the brief, the invoice and the correspondence.
Checking the card against reality
The first version of a rate card is a hypothesis. After twenty or so jobs, compare what each one actually earned per hour with your target. If a type of work keeps falling short, adjust its band or stop taking it. Unit 4 of the course covers the conversions and the bands in detail, and Unit 10 covers raising rates with existing clients. Nothing on this page is a prediction of what you will earn.
A filled-in example
| Target hourly figure | Set from the proofreader's own costs and billable hours, not from a published average |
|---|---|
| Measured speed | About 2,000 words per hour on standard business text |
| Base rate | Target hourly figure divided by 2,000, expressed per word and per 250-word page |
| Heavy-text band | Base rate times 1.5 for files the sample shows are much slower |
| Rush | Base rate times 1.5 for turnaround under three working days |
| Second pass | Charged hourly, estimated from the number of changed pages |
| Minimum charge | One hour at the target figure |
Mistakes to avoid
- Copying a published rate. Rate surveys and forum posts are a useful sanity check, but they reflect other people's costs, speeds and markets. Derive your base from your own figures first.
- Pricing rush work by mood. If "rush" has no definition, you will charge for it inconsistently. Tie it to a specific turnaround threshold.
- No minimum charge. A 300-word job still needs a brief, an invoice and some emails. A minimum stops small jobs costing you money.
- Never reviewing the card. A rate set before your first job is a guess. Check it against real jobs and adjust.
Proofreading Rate Card Template FAQs
What is the going rate for proofreading?
Published ranges vary widely by country, specialty and who is doing the publishing, and any single figure quoted as "the" rate should be treated with suspicion. Use them as a sanity check on a number you derived from your own speed and your own costs, not as a substitute for deriving one. Nothing here is a prediction of what you will earn.
Should I publish my rates?
There are honest arguments both ways. Publishing filters out inquiries you would decline anyway and saves everyone time; withholding lets you price the job rather than the category. What matters more than the choice is that you quote consistently, which is what the rate card is for.
How often should I raise rates?
Review annually and raise with new clients first, where there is no relationship to renegotiate. Existing clients are then moved deliberately and with notice, which is a specific skill the course covers rather than something to improvise in an email.
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