Urgency pricing Free browser tool

Charge for the schedule you are being asked to disrupt.

Turn a compressed deadline into a clear rush surcharge, a client-ready quote, and a reusable policy clause.

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Price the schedule disruption

Start with your normal quote, then protect the work the rush displaces.

CurrencyStandard project fee$Normal delivery timedaysRequested turnarounddaysHours the rush work takeshrsMinimum effective rate$/hrYour rush policy markup%This timeline is 70% shorter. A neutral planning start is 50%; use your own written policy.Billable work displaced$Revenue you delay, decline, or reschedule to make room.Evening, weekend, or holiday work requiredAdd the off-hours policy only when the deadline actually forces it.%

Rush quote readout

The surcharge protects the largest core cost, then adds genuine off-hours work.

Policy markup amount$600

Minimum-rate shortfall$0

Displaced billable work$250

Off-hours surcharge$180

Rush surcharge$800

Client quote total$2,000

Rush effective rate$200/hr

READY-TO-SEND QUOTE

Thanks for checking the accelerated timeline. My standard fee is $1,200 for a 10-day schedule. I can prioritize a 3-day delivery for $2,000, including the rush surcharge of $800. This is subject to availability, written approval, receipt of final materials, and the agreed revision limit. If you prefer the standard fee, the original 10-day schedule remains available.

REUSABLE RUSH CLAUSE

Rush work means any request requiring delivery in fewer than 10 calendar days or work outside normal business hours. Rush scheduling is subject to availability and written approval. Approved rush work carries a 50% surcharge on the base project fee plus 15% when evening, weekend, or holiday work is required. The revised fee and delivery date must be approved before expedited work begins.

THE RUSH PRICING METHOD

Price urgency as capacity, not as annoyance.

A rushed deadline can displace booked work, force off-hours delivery, and compress the same risk into fewer days. The fee should protect those costs before the client receives priority access to your calendar.

RUSH SURCHARGEmax(policy markup, displaced work, rate-floor gap) + off-hours premium

The result is rounded up to a clean quote. Your own written policy remains the final rule.

Start from the normal price

Price the exact deliverable at a normal pace first. A rush fee should add to a sound base quote, not repair an underpriced project.

Count what leaves the calendar

Include paid work you must delay or decline. If the rush premium is smaller than that opportunity cost, the client is not actually paying for priority.

Require approval before the sprint

Put the revised fee, delivery date, material deadline, and revision limit in writing before work starts. Availability should never be implied.

WORKED EXAMPLE

A 10-day project requested in three days.

A 1,200 base quote with a 50% policy creates a 600 surcharge. If 250 of other work is displaced and the job still clears the hourly floor, the policy amount protects the larger core cost. A genuine 15% off-hours premium adds 180, producing a rounded 800 surcharge and a 2,000 client total.

WHEN TO DECLINE

A premium does not create impossible capacity.

Decline when the deadline removes essential review time, depends on materials the client has not supplied, jeopardizes existing commitments, or makes your quality promise unrealistic. Rush work is an optional service, not guaranteed availability.

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