Working with international clients opens the door to higher earning potential, diverse projects, and global exposure. It also brings one major challenge: figuring out how to price your work in a way that is fair, profitable, and consistent, no matter where the client is located. Different currencies, fluctuating exchange rates, varied market expectations, and different payment practices all influence how much you actually earn.

This blog walks through the core steps to set your rates, choose the right pricing model, and decide when to quote in USD or EUR instead of INR. The advice also takes inspiration from Remitly’s global pricing insights, which highlight how rates must align with living costs, payment costs, and real exchange impacts.

Start With Your Base Rate

Your base rate is the minimum amount you must earn to cover your skills, time, expenses, taxes, and profit margin. Calculate it before you even speak to a client.

A simple formula many professionals use:

Base hourly rate = (Monthly expenses + business software + taxes + savings target) ÷ billable hours

For example, if your total required monthly income is 1,00,000 INR and you can bill 80 hours in a month, your base rate would be around 1,250 INR per hour. This gives you the minimum you must earn before adding your international markup.

Most freelancers add a 15 to 30 percent international pricing buffer to account for time zone coordination, project complexity, and exchange rate swings. This is standard practice in global freelance markets.

Choosing the Right Pricing Model

Hourly Rates: Best for flexible work

Hourly billing works when the work is open ended. It is transparent, easy to explain, and common in consulting, development, and support retainers. International hourly rates vary widely:

• Designers often charge between 20 and 70 dollars per hour
  
• Developers often charge between 25 and 100 dollars per hour
  
• Writers often charge between 15 and 50 dollars per hour
  

Always compare these ranges with your own base rate to avoid undercharging.

Project Pricing: Best for clearly defined deliverables

Project pricing is ideal when scope, timelines, and outputs are predictable. Clients like it because there are no surprises. You calculate it by estimating your required hours, multiplying by your base rate, and then adding a buffer for revisions and currency movement.

For example, if a logo project takes 20 hours and your international rate is 25 dollars per hour, the minimum project value should be around 500 dollars.

Retainers: Best for long term relationships

Retainers provide predictable monthly income. Clients pay for guaranteed hours or responsibilities every month. Many agencies use retainers for social media, SEO, maintenance, content pipelines, and creative support.

The key is to set a retainer value based on:

• Consistent workload
  
• Guaranteed response time
  
• Priority access
  
• Reduced administrative work
  

Retainers also let you lock in exchange rates for a month or quarter, protecting your cash flow.

How Currency and FX Rates Affect Your Real Earnings

Currency volatility is one of the biggest hidden risks when you work with overseas clients. If you quote 500 dollars for a project and the INR strengthens during payout, you might lose 3 to 5 percent without realizing it.

This is why reliable FX planning matters. Platforms like Remitly, Wise, and export fintech solutions highlight how unpredictable FX movements can affect freelancer income.

A simple rule: If exchange rates move often, charge a slightly higher buffer or use project based pricing rather than long term fixed hourly deals.

Many Indian freelancers lose between 2 and 5 percent on every USD payment due to:

• FX rate differences between platforms
  
• Payment gateway fees
  
• Settlement delays
  
• Bank charges
  

So your rate must absorb these hidden costs.

Should You Quote in USD, EUR, or INR?

Quote in USD or EUR when:

• The client is in the USA, UK, Europe, Canada, or Australia
  
• The project value is high
  
• You want stable earnings that are not affected by INR volatility
  
• You are competing with global talent
  
• The client’s internal budgeting happens in USD or EUR
  

Most global platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, and agency marketplaces expect USD pricing anyway.

Quote in INR when:

• You work with Indian companies or Indian founders abroad
  
• The project is long term and requires stable month to month billing
  
• The client is uncomfortable with fluctuating FX rates
  
• You want predictable income without currency risk
  

If you quote in INR for international clients, always mention that the amount is INR equivalent to USD at the time of invoicing. This keeps things transparent and protects you from sudden FX changes.

Factor in Your Actual Received Amount

Two freelancers can charge the same rate and still receive different amounts because payment platforms have different fees and FX spreads. For accuracy, always calculate:

Effective earnings per 1,000 dollars received

This helps you compare PayPal, Wise, Payoneer, BriskPe, or bank transfers based on your country, client location, and invoice size. If a platform charges high FX markup or holds back funds, increase your rates to compensate.

When to Raise Your Rates for International Clients

Increase your rates when:

• You have too much work and need to filter clients
  
• Your skill level has improved
  
• Your industry market rate has increased
  
• Currency has moved in a way that reduces your real income
  
• You have built deep expertise clients rely on
  

Most global freelancers revise rates once every 12 months.

Conclusion

Setting your rates for international clients is part math, part market understanding, and part long term planning. Begin with a solid base rate, choose the pricing model that matches the nature of the work, and always factor in FX volatility and platform deductions. Quote in USD or EUR when working with global clients, and use INR for domestic or long term stability focused relationships.

The goal is simple: ensure that the price you quote is the price that helps you grow your business without losing money to hidden costs or unpredictable exchange rates. Once you understand your true earnings per project, your pricing becomes more confident, fair, and consistent across borders.

Get Paid Smoothly With BRISKPE

If you work with international clients and settle payments into an Indian bank account, BRISKPE can help you keep more of your earnings through clear slab based fees and live FX conversion without hidden markups. Payments up to $2,000 dollars have a flat $16 dollar fee, payments between $2,001 and $10,000 dollars have a flat $25 dollar fee, and payments above $10,000 dollars are charged at 0.25 percent. The conversion uses the live market FX rate without added markups, and export documents like e FIRA are generated automatically.It is built for Indian exporters and reduces a lot of manual follow up with banks. When your pricing is set right, pairing it with a predictable payment route ensures you get the income you planned for. Explore BRISKPE.com today!