How much to charge for consulting
Updated September 19, 2026. Example prices in US dollars from the consulting proposal template.
Short answer: Price consulting as one fixed line (operations review at $8,500.00 USD) with a starting total of $8,500.00 USD, then 1 optional line (implementation support) the client can switch on, and a quantity the client sets within your limits. Set your own numbers; the structure is what gets accepted.
A worked example for consultants and advisors: the pricing lines from our consulting proposal, what is fixed, what the client can switch on, and how to present it so the total gets accepted rather than negotiated.
The example pricing
| Line | Example price | How it is sold |
|---|---|---|
| Operations reviewFour weeks, report, plan and leadership session | $8,500.00 USD | Included |
| Implementation supportTwo days a week alongside your team | $6,000.00 USD per month | Optional, off by defaultClient picks 1 to 6 |
Starting total with the defaults on: $8,500.00 USD, before the client chooses among 1 optional line, with 1 quantity the client sets within your limits. Example prices in US dollars; the template works in 16 currencies and every number is yours to change.
How to present it
The core templates cover the projects most freelancers sell: a fixed-scope build, a retainer, a shoot, a consulting engagement. Each one prices the defined work as one line and everything negotiable as an option the client can switch on.
Fixed price for the thing you can define, recurring for the thing that continues, and countable options for whatever clients tend to add. That structure survives almost any trade.
Whatever you charge, the client should be able to see the total change as they choose. A total that responds is a total that gets accepted.
Questions people ask
- How much should I charge for consulting?
- Price consulting as one fixed line (operations review at $8,500.00 USD) with a starting total of $8,500.00 USD, then 1 optional line (implementation support) the client can switch on, and a quantity the client sets within your limits. Set your own numbers; the structure is what gets accepted.
- What should be optional in a consulting proposal?
- In this template: Implementation support ($6,000.00 USD per month). Optional lines sit next to the base price with a switch, so clients choose them without a follow-up email.
- How do I present consulting pricing so it gets accepted?
- The core templates cover the projects most freelancers sell: a fixed-scope build, a retainer, a shoot, a consulting engagement. Each one prices the defined work as one line and everything negotiable as an option the client can switch on.
Why this structure gets accepted
- One fixed line the client can say yes to. Operations review is priced as a whole, so the conversation is about the result, not the hours.
- Options on the page, not in follow-up emails. Implementation support sit next to the base price with a switch. People choose what they can see.
- The total moves as they choose. On a Quote and Sign page the client toggles lines and sets quantities, watches the total update, and signs with their name. What they chose becomes part of the signed record.
Put it in front of a client
Open this pricing as a real proposal, change the words and numbers, and send the link. Your client reads it on their phone, adjusts the options, and accepts with one tap. Both of you get the signed PDF.
Try it in the editor, no account See the consulting proposal template
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All pricing guides · Quote and Sign is open source under the AGPL.