This free retainer hours pack pricer helps you price a monthly retainer hours pack: how many hours are included, what the pack costs, what extra hours cost, and what a sample month comes to. Retainers give clients priority access to you and give you steady income, but only when the numbers are set right. It runs fully in your browser, so nothing you type is sent to a server. You need no account and no sign-up to use it.
A retainer without clear overage rules always ends in an awkward talk. The client thinks extra hours are included, and you think they are billable. Writing the pack price, the included hours, and the overage rate down first keeps the relationship friendly.
To use the tool, fill in the boxes on screen and press the calculate button. You can change any number and calculate again as often as you like. The result updates at once, so you can test different prices side by side and see which one fits your business best.
For example, sell ten included hours for 900 dollars a month, with extra hours at 110 dollars each. If the client uses twelve hours, the tool shows two overage hours, 220 dollars of overage cost, a month total of 1,120 dollars, and an effective rate of about 93 dollars an hour.
Tip: Price the pack below your hourly rate, but not far below it. The client gets a deal for committing, and you get steady work.
Tip: Set the overage rate above the pack hourly rate. That rewards clients who buy a bigger pack instead of living on overage.
Tip: Decide rollover in writing. Unused hours that roll over sound generous, but they can pile up into a debt of free work.
The most common mistake is selling too many included hours for too little money. Ten hours at a tiny price feels like an easy sale, and then every month you work those hours at a rate you would never accept on its own.
Common question: What if the client uses fewer hours? The pack price still applies. That is the deal: the client pays for availability, not only for hours used.
Common question: Should unused hours roll over? Many freelancers allow no rollover, or roll over only one month. Pick one rule and write it down.
Common question: Is this a firm quote? No. It is an estimate to design your own pack. Your final price depends on your rate and your market.
Freelancers, consultants, designers, developers, and virtual assistants sell retainers this way. It also helps small businesses buying a retainer to check that the pack math is fair before they sign.
Keep a note of the prices you quote and the jobs you win. After a few weeks you will see which prices clients accept fast and which ones cause long talks. That record is worth more than any guess, because it comes from your own clients and your own area.
Before you send the quote, read it once as if you were the client. Is every line clear? Does the client know what is included and what is not? If anything looks unclear, rewrite that line before you send it. A quote that needs no follow-up questions wins work faster than a cheaper quote that confuses people.
This tool is free to use as often as you like. Bookmark it and come back whenever you price a new job. Clear prices help you win work, avoid awkward talks about money, and keep your business healthy.
Remember that every result here is an estimate, not professional financial advice. Your real costs, your local market, and your tax rules all shape the final number, so use the tool as a starting point and adjust it to your own business.