"How much should I charge?" is the question every Nigerian freelancer asks at some point — usually right before sending a quote and immediately wondering if it's too high, too low, or completely wrong. Here's a practical way to figure it out.
Most freelancers price by gut feeling. They look at what a friend charges, pick a round number, and hope it's enough. The problem: gut-feeling rates almost always undercharge, because they don't account for inflation, taxes, non-billable hours, or the gap between what you need to earn and what you actually invoice.
Before picking an hourly or project rate, decide what you actually need to earn per month — rent, food, transport, savings, everything. This is your baseline, not your ceiling.
You won't bill 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Between client calls, admin work, proposals, and slow weeks, most freelancers only bill 60-70% of their working hours. If you need to earn ₦500,000/month and only bill 100 hours, your real hourly rate needs to cover the full ₦500,000 — not just look reasonable on paper.
Nigeria's inflation rate has stayed high through 2026, which means a rate that worked a year ago is already worth less today. If you haven't raised your rates in the last 6-12 months, you're effectively taking a pay cut every month inflation rises and your pricing doesn't.
Whether or not you're currently registered for tax, it's smart to set aside 10-15% of every payment as a buffer. This protects you if you start invoicing larger clients who expect VAT, or if your earnings grow past the threshold where registration becomes necessary.
Knowing what others charge is useful context, not a ceiling. International clients in particular often have larger budgets than local ones — a developer charging $15/hour for a Lagos client might reasonably charge $35-50/hour for a US or UK client doing similar work, simply because the client's budget and expectations are different.
Doing this math manually every time you quote a new project is slow and easy to get wrong. Soloist's free Rate Calculator does steps 1 through 4 automatically — enter your income goal, billable hours, and current rate, and it shows you exactly what to charge, adjusted for inflation and tax, in seconds.
Your rate isn't just "what feels fair" — it's a number that should be able to support your actual life, account for the hours you can't bill, and keep pace with inflation. Most freelancers who switch from guessing to calculating end up raising their rates, not lowering them.