Minimum job charges: cover admin time on small requests
Small requests can still carry intake, setup, travel, invoicing, and follow-up time. Set a minimum charge before accepting work below your rate floor.
A minimum charge is a rate-floor decision. Before accepting a small job, add the unpaid admin time and fixed setup costs that still happen even when the billable task looks short.
Count the whole job
Estimate intake, scheduling, setup, client messages, travel, revisions, invoicing, and payment follow-up alongside the visible task time. A 30-minute request may consume much more than 30 minutes of business capacity.
Compare with your rate floor
Use your hourly or freelance rate floor to price the true time, then add hard costs such as supplies, mileage, platform fees, or subcontractor minimums. If the result is higher than the request, a minimum charge keeps the job from subsidizing the client.
Put the minimum in the quote
State the minimum charge, what it includes, and when extra scope becomes a new quote or hourly work. Confirm contract, consumer, tax, and industry rules for your location before making customer-facing minimums or fees.