One of the hardest parts of being a freelancer is knowing when to raise your prices. In a normal 9-5 job, you wait on the boss to give you a raise. Or, you muster up whatever courage you find and go in there and demand a raise. Ah, fun times. But what happens when you’re the person controlling your income?

It’s up to you. Therefore, you gotta give yourself a raise. But, when?

You can die little by little as your pay stays the same, or you can take a deep breath, mutter, “I’ve got this,” and raise your prices because you deserve it. The short answer is that there’s no “right” time to raise your prices. You get to decide. But, here’s a few tips that might help:

You Have Too Much Work

It’s always nice to have too much work that you’re denying clients, right? Well, yes and no. Freelancers tend to have this complex where we think we can do it all. Who’s gonna say no to money?

Problem is, that doesn’t get you too far. If you have too many clients wanting to do business with you, you’re probably great. Except, you’re also probably too cheap. If you’re denying people on a daily basis, it’s time to raise your prices.

Your Costs Have Gone Up

Here’s the thing: your clients that love you will stick through it with your price increase. In fact, they might even respect you more. Maybe you’re loving this new freelancer thing you’ve got going on. Maybe you’re not even a new freelancer! Either way, let’s say you bought a new laptop. Or a comfy throw pillow. Or a bed-desk (it’s a thing and I want it).

So, your costs have gone up. You’re investing in yourself, and it’s time to make up for that. There doesn’t have to be a monumental thing in your life for you to want to raise your prices. Anytime your costs have gone, raise those prices!

You’ve Been At The Same Price For Over A Year

The days are long, but the years are short. Sound about right? If you’ve suddenly woken up from a long nap and realized that your prices now are the same as they were 12 months ago, it’s time to raise them.

Look, I’m not saying you have to double your prices. But bump them up! Maybe that’s $5. Maybe that’s $1,000. And if you’re Kylie Jenner, maybe it’s $600,000,000. Either way, raise them!

You Don’t Have Enough Time

Do you ever feel like you don’t have enough time? And this goes beyond having too much work. Do you wish you had more time to dedicate to your current projects and best clients? If so, you’ve got it, raise your rates.

Being a freelancer doesn’t mean you have to work all day long, every day. You should be putting your best foot forward, which means you need enough time to dedicate to your clients. On top of that, you need time to practice self-care, participate in your hobbies, and just enjoy living your life!

Don’t Be Afraid

People often don’t raise their rates because they’re worried they will lose clients. Unfortunately, yeah, you might. But in the long run, those aren’t the clients that you want anyway. The clients that you will want to keep will accept that you’re raising your prices, and they aren’t going to fault you for it.

Get paid what you dream of getting paid, and do it as a freelancer! For more tips about being a freelancer, follow my Instagram and Twitter.