Collaborating with other freelancers for a project is a great way to grow your business.

In fact, teaming up can even help you earn more. 

But when you have a freelance team, how can you ensure everyone gets paid fairly and equally for their contributions? The simple answer: pay transparency. 

Let’s dive into how you can make sure every freelancer on your team gets paid equally by exercising pay transparency.

Communicate the scope of work

You’ve landed a potential new project and have been briefed by the client. Now it’s time to build your freelance team. 

Once you have an idea of what the scope of work entails and which roles are necessary for the project, you can tap into your network (or our community of freelancers) and see if the freelancers you have in mind are interested and available. 

Now, here’s where you can ensure everyone gets paid fairly. Instead of asking the client for a budget or guessing what the price will be, put the power back into the freelancers’ hands by asking them to share their estimated rate for this project. Communicate the entire scope of work with each potential team member and ask them what they would charge for their roles and tasks. As you put together your final proposal to the client, include everyone’s pricing in each phase of the project. If you need an example of what this breakdown looks like, use one of our free scope of work templates as a baseline.

Asking every team member what their price is, rather than setting a price for them, ensures you build a proposal that reflects everyone’s value from the start.

Advocate for value-based pricing

When you start sourcing pricing for a project, one of your team members may share a low rate. If you think it’s below market rate, doesn’t reflect the value they bring to the project, or is simply just too low, say something! 

Freelancers succeed when we all earn more. And as someone who’s leading a freelance team, it’s your job to advocate for your fellow independents. Encourage value-based pricing from the start to ensure everyone ends up getting paid equally and fairly. On a related note, it’s also helpful to share your rates with fellow freelancers on a regular basis. When freelancers are open about their rates, it helps everyone charge what they’re worth and increases the value of the entire industry.

Openly communicate throughout the project

As much as you prepare for a project, there are some things that can’t be predicted. Maybe the client changes their direction midway through the project, or perhaps they want to expand the initial scope. 

Protect your team members by ensuring they get paid regardless of what happens. Make sure your payment terms include a deposit in case a project is canceled halfway through. Look out for scope creep and adjust the project pricing to reflect any additions or changes. Anything you can do to ensure each team member is getting paid fairly throughout the project — despite any changes — is the best thing you can do as the freelancer running the show.