Same fee. More work? Check before you renew.
An independent worksheet for freelance social media managers and small agencies. No registration or purchase needed. Use one client at a time. Use a client alias and keep private records in your own files.
Check the numbers before the next renewal
The starting values below are a fictional example. Replace them with your own figures. All amounts use the selected currency; no currency conversion is performed.
Gross revenue per hour is not profit. Added hours can come from changed client requests or internal production overruns. The fee scenario is illustrative, not a recommendation or an amount owed.
Your inputs stay in this page while it is open. This calculator does not send them to us or save them.
1. Compare one like-for-like month
Client alias: __________ Month reviewed: __________ Next renewal/review: __________
Monthly fee, excluding pass-through ad spend and reimbursed expenses: __________
Use hours spent, not a mix of hours and deliverable counts, for the calculations below. Include your own time and any team time paid from the same fee. Mark estimates rather than presenting them as tracked facts.
| Activity | Agreed inclusion | Actual delivery this month | Hours this month | Evidence / estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planning and strategy | ||||
| Graphics, copy and publishing | ||||
| Reels / video | ||||
| Revision rounds | ||||
| Community management / DMs | ||||
| Calls, approvals and reporting | ||||
| Urgent or other added work | ||||
| TOTAL |
For each difference, mark: included, approved paid extra, added without a separate fee, or unclear. A higher hour total alone does not prove the client added scope: separate added requests from your own production overruns.
2. Calculate what the current fee buys
Let F = monthly fee; H0 = original planned monthly hours; H1 = actual monthly hours; C = direct external costs paid from that fee. Use the same currency throughout.
- Original gross revenue per hour = F / H0.
- Current gross revenue per hour = F / H1.
- Change in gross revenue per hour = ((F / H1) / (F / H0) - 1) x 100%.
- Hours above the original plan = H1 - H0; a negative value means fewer hours.
- Current revenue after direct external costs, per hour = (F - C) / H1. This is not net profit: it excludes overhead, tax and any other costs not entered.
- Illustrative fee at the original gross hourly level = (F / H0) x H1. This is a discussion scenario, not a recommended price or an amount owed by the client.
Leave a calculation blank when a required number is missing or zero. Do not invent an original hour budget from memory and label it agreed.
3. Worked example — fictional, USD
Fee F = $900; original plan H0 = 15 hours; actual H1 = 22 hours; direct external costs C = $120.
- Original gross revenue per hour: $900 / 15 = $60.00.
- Current gross revenue per hour: $900 / 22 = $40.91.
- Change: -31.82%, despite the same $900 invoice.
- Additional hours against the plan: 7.00.
- Revenue after the stated direct costs: ($900 - $120) / 22 = $35.45 per hour, before other costs.
- Same gross hourly level scenario: $60 x 22 = $1,320 monthly.
Suppose 4 of the extra hours came from added revision rounds and DMs, and 3 came from slower internal production. Discuss the 4 hours of added client work separately; the other 3 require an internal process decision. Do not automatically attribute all 7 hours to scope creep.
4. Choose one proposal before the renewal discussion
| Option | What changes | What to write down |
|---|---|---|
| Restore the agreed scope | Remove or quote added work separately | Platforms, outputs, revisions, meetings, response windows and effective date |
| Keep current delivery | Propose a revised scope and fee | Confirmed workload, inclusions, exclusions, fee and effective date |
| Redesign the package | Trade lower-priority work for higher-priority work | What stops, what starts, capacity and approval process |
Follow existing notice and change provisions. Until both parties agree a change, do not treat a scenario as an accepted amendment.
5. Use this conversation opener
“Before we renew, I want to check that the package still matches the work you need. We originally planned [agreed scope]. Last month we delivered [actual scope]. The main additions were [specific differences], supported by [records / clearly labelled estimates]. We can restore the original scope, agree a package for the current workload, or swap priorities. Which option best matches your needs for the next period?”
6. Turn the decision into a short written scope
Included deliverables: __________
Platforms and volume: __________
Revision rounds and what counts as a new request: __________
Calls, response windows and urgent work: __________
Client inputs, approval deadlines and delay handling: __________
Extras and how they are approved before work begins: __________
Fee, effective date, review date and acceptance: __________
Use this worksheet as a practical business review. It does not establish a contractual right to an increase or guarantee a particular client response.