How do I announce a raise to existing clients?

Short, factual, with notice: "Starting [date 30-60 days out], my rate is $X." No apology, no justification paragraph. Clients who value the work stay; the ones who leave were paying below your market anyway.

How often can I raise rates?

New clients: every time the yes-rate stays above roughly 70-80%. Existing clients: about once a year, with notice. If nobody has pushed back in two years, you are underpriced.

What if my biggest client refuses?

The break-even number tells you exactly what the refusal is worth. Also check the client concentration: one client big enough to veto your pricing is a risk problem, not just a rate problem.

Calculators

Rate increase calculator

The fear says: raise rates, lose clients, earn less. The math says the fear exaggerates. A 25% raise survives losing 20% of your hours before you earn a dollar less, and everything above that line is profit for less work.

Your numbers

Current hourly rate

What you charge today.

Planned increase

10-15% for existing clients with notice; 25%+ for new clients is normal.

Annual billable hours

Your real number. The billable hours calculator computes it.

What the ledger says

New rate$96per hour

Extra revenue per year (same hours): +$19,200
Client loss you can absorb: 16.7%
Current annual revenue: $96,000
New annual revenue: $115,200

Estimate, not advice

The formula

New revenue = new rate × same hours. Break-even churn = increase ÷ (1 + increase): at +25% you can lose 20% of hours and match today's revenue exactly.

What this ignores

That lost hours often get refilled at the NEW rate (making the real outcome better than break-even), demand elasticity in your niche, and the compounding effect of repeated small raises. It models the worst realistic case.

Field notes

How do I announce a raise to existing clients?: Short, factual, with notice: "Starting [date 30-60 days out], my rate is $X." No apology, no justification paragraph. Clients who value the work stay; the ones who leave were paying below your market anyway.
How often can I raise rates?: New clients: every time the yes-rate stays above roughly 70-80%. Existing clients: about once a year, with notice. If nobody has pushed back in two years, you are underpriced.
What if my biggest client refuses?: The break-even number tells you exactly what the refusal is worth. Also check the client concentration: one client big enough to veto your pricing is a risk problem, not just a rate problem.