Start here
The free tool below runs entirely in this browser — no account, nothing stored or transmitted. Redact anything you would not want kept before you type it.
Open the companion tool →Why defending the rate means changing the unit
Charging per word or per hour invites comparison with a model. Charging for outcomes, review, and accountability moves the conversation to what the client actually buys.
This is not about refusing AI; it is about pricing the part of the work that carries risk if it is wrong.
The protocol
- List your recent projects and what the client actually needed — not the artifact, the outcome.
- For each, mark the parts AI can produce and the parts that require your judgement or your name.
- Write a one-page scope that states what you do, what you check, and what you will not hand over.
- Set two prices: a tool-assisted rate and a rate for work that carries review and accountability.
- Send the scope to one current client and record how they respond.
What the tool does
Build a freelance rate recalibration record It runs locally in this browser and sends nothing.
Limit first: This is a planning aid, not legal, career or financial advice. It cannot guarantee an outcome, and it does not evaluate whether a specific employer acted lawfully.
Open the companion tool →Cost and free path
Cost: Free: one complete run in this browser, no account. Optional $4 one-time unlock allows unlimited runs of this tool on this browser. The free path and safety guidance never require payment.
Free path, in order (no cost):
- SCORE or SBA local assistance for free business advising
- A freelancer association or guild for contract templates and advice
- LawHelp.org if a contract dispute has already started
What this cannot do: It cannot guarantee an outcome, and it does not evaluate whether a specific employer acted lawfully.
Sources checked 2026-10-03 · source bank reviewed against the live pages listed in metadata.
One human next step
If a client is using your work to train a model or resells AI output with your name on it, check your contract and ask a lawyer or a freelancer association before the next invoice.
Research log and safety checks
AI-assist path: not used for a verdict. This builder organises the reader's own documents and names an independent source; it does not infer authenticity, eligibility, or legal rights. §6.9/§6.10/§6.11 disclosed in the batch report; §6.12 status line carried in metadata as `status_line`.
§0.5 protection result: category is job-skill-disruption; crisis-adjacent: no; fear/urgency/scarcity toolkit used: no. The protective function is free and the paid feature is convenience only.