Benchmarks

What is normal for your rate and discipline

Typical ranges for the clauses freelancers and creators see most in client-drafted contracts. Ranges, not promises. Pick a clause, then your discipline, and see what fair looks like.

Clause	Design	Writing	Video	Creator brand deals	Photography	Web development	Consulting
Kill fee The cancellation payment the freelancer keeps if the client walks away mid-project.	25% at kickoff or on cancellation before real work begins; around 50% after concepts or drafts exist; 75-100% once final files are delivered.	25% for cancellation before outline or first draft; 50% after a full draft; 100% once the piece has been delivered and taken through editorial rounds.	25-50% due on cancellation before shoot day, toward the higher end because pre-production is real work; 75-100% once footage has been captured or the edit is underway.	50% if the brand cancels after signature but before content is produced; 100% once content has been created or delivered, whether or not it is ever posted.	The booking retainer (often 25-50%) is non-refundable on cancellation; a further tier of 50-100% applies for cancellations close to the shoot date, when the day can no longer be rebooked.	All completed and in-progress milestones are due on cancellation. Before real work, the deposit is retained; mid-milestone, that milestone is billed pro-rata or in full.	A notice period (often 2-4 weeks) paid in full on termination, plus fees for work already performed. Retainers are typically non-refundable for the current period.
Deposit The share of the fee paid before work begins, so the freelancer is not financing the whole engagement.	25-50% deposit at contract signature, with the remainder either at a mid-project milestone (concept approval) or on final delivery.	25-33% for a standard article or content package; 40-50% for longer-form work (ebooks, whitepapers, ghostwritten books) or unfamiliar clients.	Toward the upper end of the standard range, commonly around 50% at signature to cover pre-production, crew bookings, and gear holds; balance split between shoot day and final delivery.	50% on signature, 50% on posting or delivery is the common split; smaller creators or first-time brand relationships sometimes see 100% on delivery, which is worth pushing back on.	25-50% as a non-refundable retainer at booking, with the balance due before or on delivery of the final images. Event work often takes a larger retainer to hold a fixed, unrepeatable date.	30-50% deposit at signing, with the balance split across milestones (for example, design approval, build completion, launch) rather than a single payment at the end.	The first month's retainer in advance for ongoing work, or a 25-50% deposit for a defined project, with the balance on milestones or completion.
Net payment terms How many days after invoice the client is allowed to take before paying.	Net-15 to Net-30 from invoice date. Net-30 is the common default for agency and mid-size clients; smaller direct clients often pay on receipt or Net-15.	Net-15 to Net-30 from acceptance of the piece. Content and copy work often pays faster (on receipt to Net-15); editorial and larger publishers tend toward Net-30.	Net-15 to Net-30 on final delivery, with the deposit having already covered pre-production. Many video freelancers invoice the balance due on delivery of final files.	Net-30 from posting or delivery is the healthy target. Large brands and agencies frequently run Net-45 to Net-60 as policy, so the deposit does the protective work.	Balance due on delivery of final images is common. For commercial clients invoicing on terms, Net-15 to Net-30. Delivery of high-resolution files is often gated on payment.	Net-15 to Net-30 on each milestone invoice. Final payment is commonly due at launch or handover, not deferred past it.	Net-15 to Net-30 from invoice. Retainers billed in advance for the coming period; project invoices Net-30 with a late fee.
Unlimited revisions A clause that promises the client any number of revision rounds at no extra fee.	2 to 3 rounds of revisions included, with further rounds billed at an hourly or per-round rate stated up front.	2 rounds of revision included (a substantive round plus a polish round). Further rewrites, or a change in direction, are billed separately.	1 to 2 rounds at each defined stage (for example, one round on the offline edit, one on the online edit). Further changes, or changes to a locked stage, are billed.	1 to 2 rounds of revision before posting, followed by a single approval step. Further changes, or changes requested after posting, are billed or declined.	1 to 2 rounds of retouching on selected images included, with further edits or additional selects billed. The number of delivered/edited images is defined up front.	A defined scope with 1 to 2 revision rounds per milestone. Anything outside the agreed scope, or a further round, is a billed change request.	1 to 2 rounds of revision on defined deliverables (reports, strategies, models). Ongoing advice sits inside the retainer's scope; new questions or workstreams are new scope.
IP transfer How much of the intellectual property the client takes: a license, or full ownership.	A license scoped to named uses, channels, and a term (often perpetual for the final logo or identity the client paid to own) with working files and unused concepts retained by the designer unless separately purchased.	A license to publish (first rights, or exclusive rights for a defined term), with copyright and reuse rights retained by the writer. Ghostwriting and true work-for-hire are the exceptions, and are priced accordingly.	Client owns the final delivered edit on full payment. Raw footage, project files, and third-party asset licenses (music, stock, fonts) transfer only if purchased and only where sublicensing is permitted.	A usage license scoped to named channels and a term (often 3 to 12 months organic). Paid amplification (whitelisting or boosting the creator's post as an ad) and perpetual or all-media rights are separate, priced add-ons.	A usage license scoped by use, media, territory, and term, with the photographer retaining copyright. Full copyright assignment or an all-rights buyout is available separately, at a multiple of the shoot fee.	Custom deliverable code transfers to the client on full payment. The developer retains ownership of pre-existing libraries, tools, and know-how, licensing them to the client for use. Third-party and open-source components keep their own licenses.	The client owns the deliverables created for them (reports, models, custom analysis) on full payment. The consultant retains ownership of their pre-existing methodologies, frameworks, and tools, licensing their use where needed.
Exclusivity Whether the contract stops you from taking competing work, for how long, and how narrowly it defines a competitor.	No exclusivity on standard project work. Where a client needs it (a retainer, or a direct competitor concern), a narrow scope for a defined term (often 3-6 months) with a retainer or premium attached.	No topic exclusivity on standard assignments. Where a client needs it, a narrow bar on directly competing pieces for a short window (often 30-90 days), or a defined non-compete on a specific named competitor.	None on one-off productions. On retainers or category-sensitive brand work, a narrow exclusivity on named competitors for the engagement term plus a short tail (often 30-90 days), reflected in the rate.	A short 2-7 day category window around posting is routine and often unpaid. Beyond that, a common convention is to price it: roughly +20-35% of the fee for a 30-day category lockout, +50-75% for 90 days, and +75-100% for six months.	None on standard shoots. For commercial clients with a competitor concern, a narrow category exclusivity for a defined term, reflected in the fee, is the appropriate structure.	None on one-off builds. On retainers or where a direct-competitor conflict is real, a narrow named-competitor restriction for the engagement term plus a short tail, reflected in the rate.	Where a client needs it, exclusivity limited to named direct competitors for the engagement term, priced into the retainer. Broad, open-ended exclusivity is compensated as a premium or declined.
Liability cap The ceiling on what you can be made to pay if something goes wrong. No cap means unlimited exposure.	Liability capped at the total fees paid under the contract (sometimes a small multiple), with indirect and consequential damages excluded.	Liability capped at the fees paid, with consequential damages excluded and carve-outs for content the client edited, approved, or directed.	Liability capped at fees paid, consequential damages excluded, and specific risks (location damage, talent releases, music licensing) assigned to the party responsible for them.	Liability capped at the fees paid, with the creator responsible only for their own conduct (honest disclosure, following the brief) and the brand responsible for its product claims and materials.	Liability capped at the fees paid, consequential damages excluded, and a realistic limit-of-liability for events (for example, re-shoot or refund rather than open-ended damages if equipment fails).	Liability capped at the fees paid, consequential damages excluded (lost revenue, downtime, data loss), and warranties limited to conforming to spec, not to being bug-free forever.	Liability capped at the fees paid (sometimes a small multiple), consequential damages excluded, and a professional-advice clause stating the client is responsible for its own decisions and implementation.
Non-compete A clause restricting who you can work for after the engagement ends, by industry, geography, and time.	No general non-compete. A confidentiality/NDA covering the client's specific confidential materials, and at most a narrow, short bar on serving a named direct competitor, is the appropriate scope.	No topical or industry non-compete. A confidentiality clause covering the client's private information, and at most a narrow bar on working for a specifically named competitor for a short window.	No general non-compete. Confidentiality over the client's materials, and at most a narrow, short restriction on producing for a named direct competitor, ideally tied to a retainer.	Handled as exclusivity: a named-category restriction for a defined window (often 30-90 days) with a premium. No long-tail post-campaign bar on the creator's broader partnerships.	No general non-compete. Confidentiality over the client's materials and unreleased images, and at most a narrow, short restriction on shooting for a named direct competitor.	No general non-compete. Confidentiality over the client's code, data, and plans, and at most a narrow, short restriction on building for a named direct competitor.	Confidentiality over the client's information, plus at most a narrow non-compete limited to named direct competitors for a short defined period. Broad industry bars are declined or heavily compensated.

These are typical ranges from the patterns we see in inbound freelance contracts, not legal advice or industry statistics. Every deal is its own negotiation.