Freelancers - how often do you increase your rate, and how do you go about it?

[midnightexpress]

I've been a freelance editor since Jan 2008, and was just wondering when/if I should increase my rate? Perhaps not the best time to be looking at this, and I'm not necessarily looking to increase my rates immediately, but just wondered how people approach this?

Any thoughts welcome!

dh is an artist and tends to increase his prices about once every 3 years. it isn't something he announces, just contacts any agents with price changes and updates his own website. he is about due for a price hike, last was was actually before ds was born, and ds is now 4!

Thanks lucykate. It does sound as if he must be about due a hike (with backpay). It's rubbish isn't it? In the office I worked for before, they reviewed pay annually (and then usually increased it by less than inflation, but that's a whole other story), but now that I'm freelance, it seems that I can't review my own salary every year any more. Hey ho.

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