Those of us freelancing online fulltime, how do you stay productive? Do you use todo list apps? I'm thinking of using a To-do list app such as ToDoist to be productive with work related tasks and projects. Is there any fulltime online freelancer here who uses such apps who would be kind enough to share how they stay productive with the To-do list apps?

Hello

Does anyone have any advice on a suitable day rate for document/presentation production? I’ve done this as part of a full-time job before but have now been asked to quote as a freelancer.

I’ll proofread the content, give notes on structure and readability (but not fully copy edit), and use a pre-existing template (that I select and adapt, rather than shared by them) to put together a document or slide deck. It’s a bit more than proofreading but not as much as graphic design.

Thank you very much indeed for your advice! mangifera

I did a job for £1,100 three months ago and the payment is now a month late. Every time I've chased, they have said they are having cash flow issues and they will try to get me a payment date asap. No one from the accounts department has replied to me, this information is coming from a totally different department. If the company goes out of business, will I still get paid?

For context, there is no contract. It is a UK publishing company I have worked for before on an invoicing basis.

Are there any complications with working part time (salaried employee) for a company and then freelancing to the same company on your days off? I was a full time employee and then went to three days a week, we employ contractors when big jobs come in so I was hoping I could freelance during these times for my company and earn some extra cash (about twice my day rate as an employee).

Hi,

In one month, I’ll have a visa for the UK, and I’m currently freelancing in France as a fullstack JavaScript developer. I’m familiar with the French market and its various platforms, like Free-Work (apparently similar to Technojobs in the UK) to find contracts. I also have a network of sales contacts in consulting firms.

But in the UK, I’m completely lost!

How do you find your clients? Do you use platforms? Do you know of any consulting firms that hire freelancers?

Thanks in advance!

[ Looking for advice] I'm a experienced freelance software developer who recently relocated to the UK. I'm finding it a bit tough to adjust to the higher rates here. Most of my previous clients were used to lower rates, and I'm struggling to find global clients who are willing to pay UK/EU market rates. Does anyone have any tips on how to attract high-paying clients in the UK? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!"

P.S: I'm not trying to self-promote; I'm genuinely seeking advice from the community.

I was doing a freelance test gig which ended early due to mismanagement on the other side, and have been looking for a new one for a few months, finances are getting rough. I responded to a job listing and had a call with them which seemed positive, 2 days a week in the office about an hour away from me which is manageable, but right at the end they give the rate which works to a bit above minimum wage, and about a third of what I was making previously based on hourly rate.

I wasn't sure I would go further with it but I've been invited to a second call including a higher-up which I have accepted. It's probably better to take it than not but how should I broach the subject of an improved pay offer? Surely I have to at least propose a better rate based on my experience, or should I just take the low rate and bin it off the moment I find something better?

I am an independent image editor looking for real estate editing opportunities and want insight on the title

Thanks

I kind of feel into a freelance test gig that was full time hours (if I wanted) but ended early. I'd quite like to continue on this route for the sake of flexibility to do other things but I've not found anything yet. Are there good websites or agencies I may have missed? I'm kind of just searching "freelance test" in stuff like linkedin and indeed. Do I need to pay to use one of the dedicated contractor sites?

I had a great meeting with a US based studio, they then emailed me the next day to quote a project, I did so as best I could (extremely reasonable / lower than normal but wanted to build a relationship) and they basically haven’t responded for 2 weeks.

I followed up after a week as well.

Is this common? Is 2 weeks not that long? It’s disheartening because you don’t expect this behaviour from a studio and also the market is so rough out there at the moment I’m getting increasingly worried.

So I’ve been working freelance for a medium-sized uk-based software company since about mid-2021, mostly making tutorial videos for them, but occasionally doing some copywriting too.

I set my rate at £17 per hour when I started (I was new to freelance work after losing my job during lockdown, and didn’t know any better then!) I have a degree in film production, and they seem to value my work as I’ve had regular work ever since I started. Their customers also comment on how useful my videos are. I’ve recently realised that I’m perhaps undercharging for my work, but I can’t find any definitive advice on how to charge for this type of work. I’ve found lots of opinions and a vast range of price ranges, but I’m struggling to decide on how to value my work. I’m worried if I suddenly double my prices for example, it might scare them away.

I am responsible for all aspects of their video content, including but not limited to: scripting, research, shooting, editing, narration, presenting on camera, updating videos as the software changes, uploading to YouTube and Vimeo, managing this content, and generally anything else related to the videos. The videos themselves range between 5 - 25 minutes.

I was just interested to see what everyone’s suggestions here might be! Thanks!

Hi.

I'm a developer and I've been freelancing in various roles whether, that's actual development, technical writing, etc.

I prefer to keep things extremely simple especially when tracking time. I usually make a note of the time I've started and the time I've finished and at the near end of the month or work when I need to create a timesheet or invoice, I'll manually type it all up in Google Sheets and create something that looks a little professional.

This is quite a time consuming process and unfortunately its not a paid endeavour either - I can't bill my clients for the time taken to create the timesheet/invoice.

I'm interested to know what tools you all use for time tracking and invoice/timesheet generation.

Any tips would be highly appreciated

I’ve been freelance for 3 years but have taken an in-house role starting the beginning of next month. I’m keeping my limited company open, with enough cash in it to cover my corporation tax for the 2024/5 FY.

My question is, I have a £10k income tax bill due 31 Jan 2025. I have enough in the company to cover this, but what I don’t know is, how do I avoid getting into a constant loop of taking money out of my company as dividends to pay tax, and then having to pay tax on those dividends?

Upwork has become very competitive, and I've had an up-and-down relationship with it since 2011 when it was called oDesk. In short, I've been through everything: good jobs, nightmare jobs, good periods, completely dead periods, got scammed, got stolen from, received good reviews, and got bad reviews. But in the end, I gained good experience, and I'll share what I learned (most of it has been said here before), some ethical and some not so ethical, please share your advice too:

1- Don't be a generalist, even if you are one: I changed from Full Stack Developer to React Native Specialist. It attracts better clients looking for specialists and makes you stand out. Big clients and companies always look for specialists, while generalists attract cheaper clients.

2- Only apply for jobs you can do excellently, as it shows in your proposal. Write with technical details and exactly what you'll do. Sometimes provide a small sample or diagram (but not more than 10% of the project).

3- Don't apply to clients with no history or verified payment. Read old reviews and what freelancers said about them. Two negative reviews saying the same thing? Avoid them.

4- When checking reviews, try to find the client's name. Starting with "Hello John" makes you stand out among copied proposals.

5- Check the hire rate: Low hire rates usually mean posts stay open without closing, wasting your connects.

6- Match the post's energy: Detailed posts need detailed proposals. Brief posts need brief proposals.

7- For urgent posts, keep it short. Start with "The work is clear and I can start now..." Urgent clients won't read long paragraphs.

8- Most clients don't want the best programmer, they want someone who says "don't worry, I got this!" They're often senior developers who need help with extra work.

After getting a client:

1- Keep good clients close: When you find a professional client who knows what they want and pays well, do your best for them. Bookmark their searches to see when they post new jobs.

2- Aim for long-term clients. Let them know you're available for future work after completing the job.

3- My trick: Offer to fix small bugs after the contract ends. It ensures five stars, as they won't give bad reviews and then ask for favors.

That's what I have now, sorry for the long text, and please share other tips I might have forgotten.

Can anyone give any insights on the state of the freelance creative graphic design market at the moment in the UK? Does it feel like there's a lot of work out there at the moment, or are people struggling?

Every year, I run a piece of research looking into the state of mental health in freelancing.

I've been doing this since 2019, and the insights have fed into work which has supported over 250,000 freelancers, and is used by organisations like Mind UK and even the UK government.

2024 has been a really hard year for many of us, so I'm using this research to shine a light on where the gaps are, and where the challenges lie in freelancing.

And, many people tell me it's a really useful exercise in reflecting upon your year too!

It takes less than ten minutes, is completely anonymous, and I publish the results in early Jan

Please take part and share with fellow freelancers: https://leapers.co/research

Thank you (and thanks to u/tenpastmidnight)

Matthew

I’m a graphic designer, pretty new to freelancing. Back in August I did some work (it was just an A5 print ad), for a client I’d worked with once before.

I was recommended to them by an old client and the first job was great. They paid within 2 days of my invoice being sent over.

Then in August, they asked me to do this A5 ad. They sent over an example of what someone else had done, but she didn’t like. I was to recreate that, but follow their brand colours more closely (she gave me a couple of examples of stuff that previous designers had done to at she DID like).

It was for a print deadline the following week, so I did it over a weekend.

Anyway, I delivered it on Monday and was pretty happy with it. Sent it over, then followed up with my invoice a couple of days later. The client responded to say ‘thanks for your work’

Then she went dark on me. Ignored all requests for payment.

Then, yesterday I mentioned ‘small claims court’ in my chasing email and she responded today saying that ‘due to the low quality of the work she used another designer’

She attached what the other designer did, (in the publication that it was going in to) and it other than the fact it contains a QR code, it is similar to mine. Not better ‘quality’ certainly, just another designer’s take on the same brief.

As the deadline was the day after I submitted it, it feels a bit odd that she managed to find another designer that was able to deliver the work within 24 hours…

This is the first time this has happened to me. Anyone care to guess what’s going on here?

Surely she still needs to pay me for my work?

Unsure when to take them to small claims.

Currently freelancing as a creator and I worked with a brand for 1 month as a Strategist.

In the contract it stated that I should send my invoice on the 1st of the month and it will be billed on the 3rd.

After I had completed all the work and sent over the assets needed for the social media channels the company removed me from the slack channel which was our main form of communication.

Therefore I was in shock as both colleagues appeared to be really normal and nice.

In my invoice, my payment terms are set to 30 days. BUT the contract that I signed says I will be paid on the 3rd of the month.

I've sent a follow up email and I believe they're ghosting me.

I'm not sure if i should wait for the 30 days to pass or if i'm eligible to put in a small claims now as it's past the 3rd and I still haven't been paid.

Any suggestions are welcome!

Update: I've been paid!

Thanks to everyone who chimed in.

There's a scheduled increase in the late payment fees from HMRC if you've unpaid tax, from BoE base rate + 2.5% to 4%, so you'd be paying 9% interest from April 2025 on any overdue taxes.

Hopefully it's something you'll never need to worry about, if you're putting money aside each invoice - but things like payment on account can trip some new freelancers up.

More info here:
https://www.freelancing.support/noodles/#2024-11-05-interest-rate-changes

I recently accepted an offer for a freelancer role (£62'000); however I have never been self-employed before.

I'm looking for advice on how best to transition from a standard contract with my current employer (£37'000), to this new freelancer role which starts in December.

What steps should I take before getting started?

Any resources/advice you can share would be greatly appreciated! Thanks 🙏🏽

I have my first year of tax returns due in January.

Became a sole trader earlier this year, not hitting the VAT threshold yet and managing my records via freeagent.

Always hear very mixed things on how much people are paying accountants, some who help them hugely with tax relief and organisation even on relatively small fees, some who cost a lot more but they swear by them all the same.

Any recommendations based on your experiences would be more than welcome!

I'm reluctant to trap myself in a specific niche, but I can also see the benefit in have a few specialist offers and a focus. Are restaurants a good one? My worry is that the sustainability / lifespan of a unit is generally quite poor in comparison to other verticals, and scaling is limited by the brick and mortar nature of it, but the average order value in the mid range does make it viable for ads.

One of my retainer clients has offered to set me up for 3 days of week which entitles me to a PAYE contract. I have two other 1 day freelance contracts that I am a sole trader consultant for. I'm already acting as a freelance consultant for this opportunity and wondering if there are any drawbacks to adding one of my clients as a PAYE? The NHS payment, paid holiday and bulk of my taxes being paid through that system seems appealing but I want to make sure I'm not missing something about being a sole trader. Thoughts?

I have been freelancing as a bot developer and automation worker for few years now. I am unable to find the clients that would need my services. I automate tasks like checking out a product when it drops or monitor it. I worked on websites like Apple, Lazada, Scottycameron etc. How do I approach to get clients

The Pie Tax App has now made it free for you to file your digital self-assessment tax return through their app. Previously you had to be on a paid subscription (which you can still get if you need a dedicated tax assistant), but they've just made it free.

I think for the quality of the app (clean UI, lots of features constantly being updated, easy to setup), coupled with the ability to see a live calculation of what tax you'll owe for the current tax year, and now being able to file your return for free through their platform, it's a brilliant service.

There are other Accounting tools/services out there that a more comprehensive, but none (at least that I've come across) that are free and this easy to use. It connects with open banking so you can import all of your bank transactions (which it doesn't share with HMRC) and then you can mark them appropriately e.g. income, expenses etc

It's worth downloading just to check it out, and great for anyone who doesn't want to be tied to a subscription/monthly cost, or require tax advice.

If you are looking to complete your self-assessment for the 23-24 tax year in the coming months, do give the app a look in.

link

I’ve started a marketing freelance service specialising in working with small ecommerce businesses. I offer a general marketing strategy service, as well as a more niche conversion rate optimisation service.

My idea is to get consistent clients in with a CRO audit worth around £80, then hopefully upsell the full marketing strategy service to some of them which I price at £800-1k one-off fee.

My main issue is getting clients. I’m trying to build a LinkedIn presence, but this feels like hard work. I’m happy to spend on ads, but so far has been really unsuccessful CTR’s on LinkedIn and Meta.

One thing I haven’t tried is cold email.

What would you recommend for finding clients? I’d ideally want around 1-2 leads per week. My market is pretty niche, I just don’t know how to target the small ecommerce business owner space.

I’m also under the illusion there are more and more small ecommerce stores these days as people launch their own businesses. I’m kind of basing that of anecdotal evidence though.

Hello Reddit!

I am an experienced SEO specialist currently working full time in house but with agency experience too. I’ve recently decided I want to go freelance and I’m a bit overwhelmed on where to start.

I’ve started costing things together but some stuff I’m a bit lost on is:

Payment terms: What should these be set as? 30 days or 60 days?

Tax: I’ve been told that sorting tax is a nightmare when freelancing. Does anyone have any advice on this? Someone told me quickbooks is good for this.

Networking: I’ve come across conflicting things on this. A lot of people have suggested to jump on upwork and fiverr to begin with then build bigger from there. Is this good or bad advice?

Registering as a business: I don’t know much about this. Where do I even begin for this?

Appreciate that’s a lot of questions. As you can tell this is a recent decision and one I intend to go through with, so any help and advice will be hugely appreciated!

I often read that it's much more effective to have a niche, so in my case as a graphic designer, maybe it could be logo design or web design.

I really don't like the idea of limiting myself to just one thing, I love variety in what I do. I am good at a lot of different things, not as in a jack of all trades, but simply the fact that I've dedicated a lot of my spare time over the years to improving my skills (whereas most designers I know just treat it as a 9-5 job)

So could it be an idea to work under multiple brands, and each of those could specialise in one thing?

So a brand geared towards logo design, another for Web design etc? Maybe brands that target design services for specific industries?

After two years of stressful job-seeking, I finally got a freelance job as social media manager!

I'm in the middle of applying for self-employment with HMRC. Any tips or things I should be aware of in terms of taxes and contract? I learned that I should record everything (receipts, invoices, bank statements) and to have a separate business account to keep things in order. Is there anything else I'm missing?

Thank you in advance! 😊