Rate card
A published list of an agency's standard hourly or daily rates by role, used as a starting point for quotes and negotiations.
For example, an agency's rate card lists $180/hour for strategy, $140 for design and $120 for production. It anchors negotiations and keeps quotes consistent, even though most projects are ultimately sold as a fixed fee or value-based price.
Why it matters to agencies: a rate card sets a consistent, defensible anchor for pricing conversations and stops quotes drifting based on who prepared them. Even agencies that sell on value keep one, because it underpins blended rates and justifies the numbers when a client pushes back.
What a rate card includes
- Each role or seniority level
- The rate per unit (hour, day or project)
- What the rate includes
- Any minimum engagement
- A validity or review date
- Publishing rates you immediately discount, training clients to haggle.
- One blended rate that ignores role and seniority.
- Never updating it as costs and demand rise.
What is a rate card?
A published list of an agency's standard hourly or daily rates by role, used as a starting point for quotes and negotiations.
What should a rate card include?
Standard rates by role or seniority, and often day rates as well as hourly - enough to anchor a quote, not necessarily the final price.
Do agencies still need a rate card if they price on value?
Usually yes - it underpins blended rates and gives you a defensible basis when a client questions a fee.
How often should you update your rate card?
At least annually, and whenever costs, seniority mix or positioning shift - stale rates quietly erode margin.