Critique Your Day Rate Increase Before You Tell an Existing Client

The rate has not moved in two years and inflation has, but raising it with a client who has been loyal from the start feels risky to get wrong. This checks whether the numbers actually justify the increase, whether it is pitched at the right size, and gives you a blunt read before you have the conversation, not during it.

Critique a planned day rate increase before you tell an existing client. Work from these figures: current day rate [enter figure], proposed new day rate [enter figure], time since the rate was last reviewed [enter months or years], and how the engagement has changed since then (for example scope grown, more responsibility, or no change). Weigh whether the increase is justified by the numbers, whether it risks the relationship if pitched badly, and whether a smaller or staged rise would land better. State plainly whether the proposed rise is too timid, about right, or risks pushback, and give the single strongest reason. Keep the answer under 150 words.