Contract for Hourly Work?

I have just started working exclusively freelance and wanted to know if I should always use a contract, even for hourly work.

If so, does anyone have a sample contract I could see for this type of situation? The contract I currently use is for a flat-rate project and would not work for hourly.

Thanks!!!!!

Yes you can use a contract for hourly work--it just has to be worded differently. It's kind of like a "work promise." Not sure on a contract template or on the exact way to word it though.

It would however be easier to just "estimate your hours" and charge the lump sum. Safer in the long run for you.

go to a courthouse i believe they will right one up

and if your going to do freelance for a living i suggest starting local so you can meet up with the people who you are working for

yeah, it's tough having to call people 3 or 4 times during a project.

i recommend giving the client a time frame, say 14 days, and figuring out how much that would cost based on however many hours you're putting in.

So for 3hr/day and 14 days, you're looking at around 42 hours of work. If you charged say, $35 and hour, then you should charge $1470 for the project.

Now just invoice that in an understandable way, and have them sign the bottom and send it back.

note: i have all clients pay me 20% before I do any coding. Design a basic layout in photoshop/fireworks, then email them. When they send the 20% down payment, start your coding/set up.

Have a look at this thread, adapt my contract to suit your hourly requirements.

http://www.talkfreelance.com/thread2745.html

I would like to make a suggestion here though, hourly rates are a lot more risky than quoting. With quoting for jobs you can ask for a deposit to cover your time and risk during the initial period, hourly rates pricing you can't unless you provide an estimate and base the deposit on that. Also with hourly rates you have to endeavour hard to keep the project, and client, costs down.

When I was charging hourly I kept my pricing a lot lower than quoting for projects. This way I was able to build a portfolio, but not at the expense of the client through developing my own personal techniques. Now I charge clients full price ($100/hour) and I know how much to charge for almost every type of project.