Should I bill for today?
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- mtgentry
Last week, my client said "we need you through next Wednesday."
There were plenty of things to work on Monday and Tuesday, but today (Wednesday) there was nothing at all to do, even after I prodded some ppl a bit.
Should I still bill the client for a whole day even though I did nothing? Was working from home too if it matters.
- mekk3
yes
- sausages5
hell yes. you get booked you get paid. hopefully your paperwork covers that
- face_melter1
Yes. Don't start giving them ideas that they can get things on the cheap - if you were contracted for those days, you get paid for those days.
- Hayzilla4
Yep. Charge! Cops get paid if nobody breaks the law. Nurses get paid if nobody hurts themselves.
They prevented you from doing other jobs so are gonna have to pay for your time.
- OBBTKN1
If they contracted you for those 3 days, you bill for those 3 days... wed was for them; if not, you would be working for another client
- ********6
Yea I think maybe after multiple identical posts, he might have got the point chaps
- He hasn't replied yet.
So, who knows?******** - Yep. And he should no this already judging by his websie...fadein11
- He hasn't replied yet.
- ********2
Don't bill. They'll realize you're not doing this for the money and you'll get exposure to other clients that will appreciate your honesty.
- for shamesection_014
- lolsinjun
- lol, exposure?monospaced
- Some of you lot have literally zero capacity for dry humour.detritus
- zilch********
- as if mono was serious... i hope he wasn't serious?fadein11
- I'm partly serious ... exposure isn't compensation, and shouldn't be treated as compensation, evermonospaced
- I'm laughing at the idea that the client would, after not being billed a single day, immediately refer work to him as a resultmonospaced
- I found it funny :)monospaced
- kona0
holy shit mason your site and work are amazing
- yep - why ask a question like this when that experienced?fadein11
- it may be a v.subtle way of spamming his folio lol (but I doubt that)fadein11
- oh come on********
- I know... but seriously - booked for a days freelance "should I bill?" with a folio like that?fadein11
- Maybe he's just started freelancing.. maybe not.. who cares********
- he has high moral standards and yeah, perhaps he's jsut started freelancing. like set said, who cares, his work is dopekona
- his work is ace. and I knew when I got paid from day 1 of freelancing lol.fadein11
- umbee541
bill. help the creative industry out by collecting your fees as they are due.
- mtgentry1
I used to permalance at an agency where sometimes they didn't have work, and I'd go home early in the afternoon. I was cool with it BC I had other things I wanted to work on. But other times I would go home early and they'd get upset bc some project came in and I wasn't there. Lame, I know.
It was this constant back and forth of "should I stay here, and fuck around on the internet for hours, or nah". But that was the deal and they took care of me otherwise.
Sometimes days would go by where I was doing nothing. That situation was different but it left me second guessing myself. So yeah, that's why I asked the question.
Def. gonna bill for this one, thanks all!
- I'm in a very similar situation... BUT I bill them a slightly lower rate for being there but not doing any work... works pretty well for both of us.********
- I have a retainer, so they pay me that rate even if I work from home and do nothing.. or leave 4 hours early one day...********
- It's an incentive to fill my time with billable work, because then we're both better off, but is enough to happily live on if I'm not doing anything...********
- ... but low enough for them to justify it in order to have me around.********
- Have been doing that for over 7 years now. Everyone's happy.********
- Cool story I know********
- I very much enjoyed it mate, 10/10 would read again :)Hombre_Lobo
- Hombre!! Haha where have you been mate.. We've missed you********
- hahah hello mate! lol you're too kind! Not been on here for ages, checked back the other day, good to see some familiar faces! How are you dude? :DHombre_Lobo
- I'm in a very similar situation... BUT I bill them a slightly lower rate for being there but not doing any work... works pretty well for both of us.
- pockets0
i live close, we should get coffee or some pitchoun
- formed2
Depends on if you sacrificed other billable work. If you did, then bill them, but if you worked on other things don't. It's about integrity, imho.
If I billed clients based off of when they 'said' they would get me information/approvals/etc. projects would just explode. I assume that 75% of the time what they say will be wrong.
It also depends on if you are billing via your employer or directly (if they are your client). If it's your employer, then it's a little different.
- Not sure I agree. If they've booked you for the day but don't give you work... you bill them. If you choose to work on other stuff anyway, so what...********
- Though to be fair, if it's your first job with them, and you genuinely had nothing else to do, it might be a good starting point to not charge this one time********
- even if you had nothing else to do*********
- I prefer lump fees for this reason. If the cost is known, the time is irrelevant.formed
- Not sure I agree. If they've booked you for the day but don't give you work... you bill them. If you choose to work on other stuff anyway, so what...
- trooperbill1
yes, yes, yes and yes if they want you they need to fill your time your not responsible for generating a brief
- wordssssss0
I am in a similar situation. Client asked to keep 15 hours a week through the end of the month. Only billing the time spent — roughly 8 hours this week / 12 last week. I look at it as relationship building. Will they come back later with more work regardless of the way I invoice. Probably. But I personally feel better billing what was worked.