Freelancers

Fixed Fee Project Pricer

Turn an hourly estimate into a fixed fee adjusted by your own measured overrun rate, and see what you earn per hour at each outcome.

Delivery: Instant download
Purchase: One-time payment
Format: Google Sheets
Excel
Updated: August 2026

$5.90

What this spreadsheet does

Quoting a fixed fee from the estimate prices the optimistic case only. Projects overrun, and the overrun lands entirely on the freelancer.

What you can do with it

Quote a fixed fee that does not lose money when the project runs long
Measure how much your own projects actually overrun
Know the hour count at which a fixed fee stops beating hourly

What's included

Sheet tabs

Instructions
Overrun History
Project Pricer
Outcome Table

Features

Ten past projects compared estimated against actual to measure your real overrun rate
Median used rather than average, so one disaster does not set your pricing
Fixed fee calculated from expected hours rather than estimated hours
Break-even hours stated explicitly, so an overrun is visible while there is still time
Seven outcomes priced, from finishing early to badly over
Each outcome labelled ahead or behind your target rate

How it works

1Fill in the last ten projects on the Overrun History tab
2Enter estimated hours and your hourly rate on the Project Pricer tab
3Write down the break-even hours before you start work

Who it's for

Freelancers and small studios quoting fixed-price work.

Sample project history is illustrative. Replace it with your own ten projects before trusting the overrun rate.

Frequently asked questions

Should I tell the client how many hours it will take?

Usually not on a fixed fee. It invites a negotiation about hours instead of value, and it makes delivering efficiently look like overcharging.

What if the project overruns badly?

If the scope changed, price it as a change. If your estimate was wrong, absorb it and update your overrun rate, which is exactly what that rate exists for.

Why median rather than average overrun?

One disastrous project would drag an average up permanently and price you out of ordinary work. The median describes the typical project, which is what you are quoting.