Split the fee into phases you can measure.
Estimate how many hours each phase should take, then multiply those hours by the hourly rate you want the work to earn. That gives you a price for each phase. For example, a €5,400 rebrand might put €1,500 on discovery, €2,700 on concept, and €1,200 on rollout. Track each phase separately to see whether the estimate holds.
A project total never tells you which phase went wrong.
When a project runs over, one total cannot tell you whether Discovery, Concept, or Rollout caused it. Without that detail, the next proposal is based on the same guess as the last one.
A small job can keep one budget. For a larger job, split the quoted fee across its phases. You can then compare each phase with its own hours while the work is still active.
How do you decide what each phase is worth?
Estimate the hours needed for the phase and multiply them by the hourly rate you want the work to earn. The result is the price for that phase. Repeat this for every phase, then check that the amounts add up to the total you want to quote.
In the example, a €5,400 rebrand assigns €1,500 to Discovery, €2,700 to Concept, and €1,200 to Rollout. At €65 per hour, Discovery has about 23 planned hours and Rollout has about 18. Once time is logged, you can see immediately how each estimate is holding up.
When should a phase have its own rate?
Use a different rate only when that phase should earn more or less than the rest of the project. For example, you may value Concept work more highly than production work.
Set €65 per hour as the project rate, then give Concept a custom rate of €90. Its €2,700 price now represents 30 planned hours instead of about 41. Every other phase continues to use €65, so you only maintain the exception.
Is a phase budget a hard limit?
No. You can keep logging time after a phase uses all of its planned hours. The budget is a warning, not a cap: it tells you that the work is taking longer than priced so you can manage the remaining work or discuss a change.
If the client agrees to a new fee, update the phase budget. The live project compares all recorded hours with the new amount. Reports you created before the change keep their original hours and amounts.
What if you run the same shape of project again?
On Pro, save the setup as a template. The next similar project can start with the same phases, budgets, custom rates, and task groups instead of being built again from scratch.
Compare the template with the finished results. If Concept repeatedly takes 35 hours instead of 30, update its budget before the next quote. Your setup gradually becomes a record of how the work actually runs, not an old estimate you keep copying.
What about a job too small to split?
Keep one budget for the whole job. Phased uses a single phase in the background, so the project stays simple on screen. If the work grows, add visible phases later. The time you already logged remains in the project.
Common questions
How do I split a fee if I have never measured this kind of job?
Start with the phases in your proposal. Estimate the hours for each one, multiply by your target rate, and use those amounts for the first split. The estimate will not be perfect. That is why you track each phase separately: the finished hours show exactly what to change in the next proposal or template.
What if the client only wants to see one number?
Quote one total price to the client and keep the phase split for your own planning. The internal budgets do not force you to change the proposal. When you create a client report, you choose whether it shows tasks, phases, or only a summary.
Do the phase prices have to add up to a round total?
The project fee is the sum of its phase amounts. If you want to quote a round total, adjust one or more phase prices until they add up to it. A small rounding difference can go on the phase whose estimate is least certain.
Is this on the free plan?
Free lets you set hour budgets for projects and phases. Pro adds fee-based budgets, custom rates by project or phase, budget warnings, effective-rate analysis, and reusable project templates. Every new account can try the Pro features for 30 days.