Freelancers search this after a “can you do 10%?” email on a quote they already sent. Time-overrun tables answer extra hours. Cost-rise tables answer a more expensive sub. This page holds hours and costs still and moves only the quoted price.
Open the Quote Margin Check calculator and keep your own price, hours, and target rate. The table below uses the page defaults: $2,400 quoted, 24 delivery + 5 admin + 6 revision hours, $180 overhead, $300 subcontractor, $75/hour target.
As quoted, $480 of direct costs leaves $54.86/hour and a $705 gap below the $3,105 target price. Ten percent off is $240 less cash in — not 10% of the leftover. The effective rate falls to $48.00/hour. Holding $75/hour would take cutting 12.60 hours of scope (22.40 hours of work left). Even at the full $2,400 the same target already wants 9.40 hours cut; the discount adds 3.20 more.
| Discount | Price | Effective rate | Hours to cut to hold $75/hour | Gap to target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| As quoted | $2,400.00 | $54.86/hour | 9.40 hours | −$705.00 |
| 5% off | $2,280.00 | $51.43/hour | 11.00 hours | −$825.00 |
| 10% off | $2,160.00 | $48.00/hour | 12.60 hours | −$945.00 |
| 15% off | $2,040.00 | $44.57/hour | 14.20 hours | −$1,065.00 |
| 20% off | $1,920.00 | $41.14/hour | 15.80 hours | −$1,185.00 |
A $1,000 quote with $800 of overhead and an $80 target already leaves $20/hour. At 50% off the price is $500, so the quote no longer covers direct costs (−$30/hour). Cutting hours cannot fix that — there is nothing left for your time. The table will say so rather than hiding it.
Enter the numbers from your own estimate. This page does not recommend accepting or refusing a discount, write a reply, or claim a quote is profitable.
Hours and direct costs stay the same. Only the quoted price falls. On the calculator example ($2,400, 35 hours, $480 of direct costs, $75 target), 10% off is $2,160 and $48.00/hour. Holding $75/hour would take cutting 12.60 hours of scope (22.40 hours of work left).
No. The discount applies to the whole price, but your overhead and subcontractor cost do not shrink with it. On the example the rate falls from $54.86 to $48.00 — more than 10% — because the $480 of direct costs is unchanged.
No. The table is arithmetic on the figures you typed. It does not recommend a price, write a negotiation script, or claim a quote is profitable. You decide what rate and scope are acceptable.