Real work rarely fits one pricing model. You bill some things by the hour, charge a flat fee for others, and price the rest per unit. Fee-Lion lets you stack all three on a single estimate, so the number your client sees matches exactly how you actually work, and the math adds itself up as you go.
The three line-item types
Every line you add to an estimate is one of three kinds. Pick the right one and Fee-Lion handles the multiplication for you, then totals the whole quote at the bottom.
- Tasks bill hours × rate. Use these for anything time-based: design hours, dev hours, a strategy call. Enter the hours and your rate, and the line total appears automatically.
- Fees / units bill quantity × rate. Use a quantity of 1 for a flat fee (a logo package, a setup fee), or a higher quantity for genuine per-unit work, like 12 social graphics or 5 landing-page sections.
- Discounts & surcharges adjust the running total. Knock a percentage off for a returning client, or add a rush surcharge when the timeline is tight.
Tip: If you find yourself typing the same rate over and over, set your default hourly rate and estimate behavior once under Settings → Preferences → Estimates. New lines start from those defaults, so you only adjust the exceptions.
Build a mixed estimate
Here’s how the pieces come together on a typical project quote.
- From the left sidebar, open Estimates and start a new one for your client.
- Add a Task line for your time-based work, say 20 hours of design at your hourly rate. The line total fills in as hours × rate.
- Add a Fee / unit line with quantity 1 for any flat-fee deliverable, like a brand guidelines document.
- Add another Fee / unit line with a real quantity, for example 6 icons at a per-icon price. Fee-Lion multiplies quantity × rate for you.
- If you’re offering a deal, add a Discount line as a percentage; for a tight deadline, add a Surcharge instead.
- Set your tax rate and, if you want money up front, a deposit %. Both pull from your defaults but can be overridden per estimate.
As you add lines, the subtotal, tax, and grand total recalculate live. There’s no spreadsheet to babysit and no math to double-check at midnight.
When to use a unit vs. a task
If the value scales with time, use a task so a longer job costs more honestly. If the value scales with output, like a set number of pages, photos, or revisions, use a unit line. Clients often find unit pricing easier to approve because they can see exactly what each piece costs.
Tax, deposits, and the final number
Once your lines are in, the bottom of the estimate shows the full picture: subtotal, any discounts or surcharges applied, tax, and the total. If you set a deposit %, the estimate also shows the amount due up front, which becomes collectible the moment your client approves in the portal.
Set your standard tax and deposit defaults once under Settings → Preferences so every new estimate starts pre-filled. From there it’s a two-minute job to swap in the lines that make each project unique, and your quote always reflects how you really charge.
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