To help you make a well-informed decision, Umbrella Supermarket has put together this guide outlining the key differences between hourly rates vs daily and the pros and cons of each, so you can choose the best route forward.
Hourly vs Daily rates: What is the difference?
When charging the client for their time, contractors can either charge by the hour or by the day.
With an hourly rate, the contractor is paid for each hour worked, whilst with a daily rate, the contractor will charge a set amount per day.
There is also a third option - charging a fixed price. Here, the contractor will charge a fixed price for carrying out the entirety of the work. Although this can work for some, generally many contractors find it difficult to accurately predict how much time a project will take and therefore how much they should charge.
What are your contractor rates?
The first step to deciding whether you will charge hourly or daily rates is to decide on how much you will charge for your time and services.
If you are a seasoned contractor, you may already know how much to charge for your time. If you are new to contracting, however, you will need to work this out.
There’s no one size fits all when it comes to contractor rates. They will vary from industry to industry and depend on the skill and experience of the contractor in question.
However, to gain a good grasp of how much you can charge, you should carry out your research.
Firstly, have a look at what other contractors in your industry are charging, this will give you a good idea of rates in your sector. It can also be useful to look at permanent salary points in your industry. Many contractor roles have permanent role equivalents, so finding out the salaries for these roles can help you work out how much you can charge.
However, it’s important to remember that contractors are hired for their short-term, specialist skill sets meaning they can usually charge more than their permanent employee counterparts and will also need to account for tax, national insurance and pension contributions in their rate.