What counts as an unbilled round
Scope creep is work that slips into a project without a price on it: for example, two projects a month that each get one extra three-hour round at $60 an hour add up to $4,320 a year that never reaches an invoice.
The calculator only needs four numbers. These are the words it uses for them, plus two ideas that explain where most unbilled rounds come from.
- Revision round
- One batch of client feedback and the updated version you send back. Three emails about the same draft are still one round if you answer them together.
- Included rounds
- The rounds your quote or contract already pays for. Many freelancers include two; some include none and bill every change.
- Extra (unbilled) round
- Any round after the included ones that you did without sending a bill. This is the number to be honest about.
- Hours per extra round
- Everything a round takes: reading the feedback, the change itself, exporting, checking and replying. Not only the time in your design or code tool.
- Hourly rate
- What you charge, or would charge, for an hour of work. If you quote fixed prices, use the hourly figure you had in mind when you set the price.
- Working week
- The calculator counts a working week as 40 hours, so you can see the cost as time off as well as money.
- Approved round
- A round the client has signed off. Anything they ask for after that is no longer a revision of open work: it changes finished work, so it should become a priced change request.
- Gold plating
- Extra work you add yourself because you think the client will like it, without being asked. It is scope creep too, just from your side, and it costs the same hours.
Example studios, side by side
These rows are made-up examples, not survey data. Each one runs through the same logic as the calculator above, so you can check your own result against a case that looks like yours.
| Example | Projects a month | Extra rounds each | Hours a round | Rate | Unbilled hours a year | Unbilled a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example: solo web designer | 2 | 1 | 3 | $60/h | 72 | $4,320 |
| Example: brand freelancer | 1 | 2 | 4 | £75/h | 96 | £7,200 |
| Example: small studio | 4 | 1.5 | 5 | €90/h | 360 | €32,400 |
| Example: video editor | 6 | 1 | 2 | A$45/h | 144 | A$6,480 |
| Example: agency, busy month | 8 | 2 | 6 | CA$110/h | 1,152 | CA$126,720 |
| Example: developer in India | 3 | 2 | 4 | ₹1,500/h | 288 | ₹4,32,000 |
Before you trust the number
Your memory runs low
Most people underestimate extra rounds, because small requests feel too small to count. Look back at the last three projects and count rounds from the email or chat history before you type a number.
Not every extra round should be billed
Some extra work is a fair cost of keeping a good client, or fixes a mistake on your side. The number shows what the rounds cost, not what you must charge for them.
Averages hide bad projects
One project with six extra rounds can cost more than a year of tidy ones. If your work is uneven, try the calculator once with a typical month and once with your worst one.
Time is not the only cost
Late changes also push back other work, delay your invoice and can make a project slip into the next month. None of that is in the money figure.
Currency only changes the format
Picking a currency changes how the result is written. It does not convert anything, so type your rate in the currency you pick.
Count rounds per project, not per year
A yearly figure is easy to shrug off. A note on each project that says “round 4, two were included, client approved round 2 on the 12th” is much harder to ignore, and it gives you the real numbers to type in here next time.
Unclear approval is where creep starts
If nobody ever says “yes, this round is done”, every later comment can feel like part of the same round. Ask the client to approve each round in writing, so the next request clearly starts a new one.
Questions about scope creep and extra rounds
Is this calculator free, and is my data saved?
It is free and runs entirely in your browser. The numbers you type are not sent anywhere and are gone when you close the page.
How many revision rounds should a project include?
There is no single right number. Two rounds is a common starting point for design and web work, but what matters more is writing the number down and saying what happens after it.
What causes scope creep on client projects?
Usually not bad clients. The common causes are a brief that left things open, no written limit on rounds, feedback from new people who joined late, and rounds that were never clearly approved. Each of these lets a new request look like part of the old work.
What are common examples of scope creep?
Examples: “can you also do a mobile version?” after a desktop design was agreed; a third logo direction when two were quoted; copy changes on a page the client already approved; a new stakeholder who asks to redo the colour palette; or “one small tweak” that touches every page. Each feels small on its own.
How do you work out what scope creep costs you?
Count the extra rounds you gave away on recent projects, estimate the hours each one really took, and put your hourly rate next to it. The calculator above does the rest and shows the cost per month, per year and in working weeks. The hard part is honest counting, not the sums.
How do I prevent scope creep without upsetting the client?
Agree the number of included rounds before work starts, count them out loud as you go (“this is round 2 of 2”), and ask the client to approve each round before the next begins. When a request falls outside, offer it as a new round with a price before you start. Clients rarely object to a rule they agreed to.
What is the difference between a revision and a change request?
A revision adjusts the work you agreed to make. A change request asks for something new, or for changes to work the client already approved. Change requests are usually quoted separately.
Should I bill by the hour or a fixed fee for extra rounds?
Hourly is fairer when rounds vary a lot in size. A fixed fee per round is easier for clients to accept and for you to send. Either works if it is written down before the project starts. Seeing that extra rounds add up to whole working weeks a year often makes the choice easier.