Short answer
Charge your editing hours times the hourly rate your income goal needs. Hours = footage review + editing per finished minute + revision rounds + admin. Example: a 10-minute YouTube video takes an assumed 16.25 hours; at $81.62 an hour (from a $65,000 take-home goal) that is $1,326.33, or $132.63 per finished minute.
- Project price = (review + editing + revision + admin hours) x hourly rate; per-minute price = project price / finished minutes.
- Example rate: $81.62 an hour from $65,000 take-home, $7,200 expenses, 25% tax reserve, 1,150 billable hours.
- At that rate: 10-minute YouTube video $1,326.33, 4-minute wedding highlight $1,714.02, 10 short clips $979.44.
- Same 10 finished minutes from 6 raw hours needs $1,877.26; a flat per-minute quote falls $550.93 short.
- Price rush work and extra revision rounds as hours. Every hour figure here is an assumption to replace.
On this page
- How do I work out what to charge for video editing?
- Video editing rate calculator: how much to charge per hour
- How many editing hours go into one finished minute?
- Video editing pricing per project: YouTube video, wedding highlight, 10 short clips
- Why do video editing rates per minute break on footage-heavy jobs?
- How much to charge for video editing as a beginner
- How to price a rush edit and extra revision rounds
- Common video editing pricing mistakes
- Video editing price formulas for Excel and Google Sheets
- Video editing price sheet vs per-minute rate cards: what to put in yours
- Step-by-step
- FAQ
How do I work out what to charge for video editing?
Estimate the hours the edit takes, then multiply by the hourly rate your income goal needs. Per-minute and per-project prices are the same sum shown in a different unit: project price = hours x hourly rate, and per-minute price = project price / finished minutes.
An edit has four blocks of time: reviewing the raw footage, the edit itself, revision rounds, and the export and admin around it. I build pricing maths and I am not an editor, so the hours below are placeholders that show the arithmetic. Time your next three jobs and swap your own in.
| Task | Working | Hours | Cost at $81.62 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Footage review and selects | 1.5 raw hours x 1.5 | 2.25 | $183.65 |
| Editing (standard edit) | 10 finished minutes x 1 hour | 10 | $816.20 |
| Revision rounds | 2 rounds x 1.5 hours | 3 | $244.86 |
| Export, upload, emails, invoice | 1 hour | 1 | $81.62 |
| Total | 16.25 x $81.62 | 16.25 | $1,326.33 |
The rate comes from a take-home goal grossed up for tax, plus business expenses, divided by the hours you can bill. With the assumptions below that is $93,866.67 over 1,150 hours:
Worked example: Hourly rate behind the video editing prices: $65,000 take-home, $7,200 yearly expenses, 25% tax reserve, 25 billable hours a week for 46 weeks. All assumptions - replace with yours.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Business expenses a year (input) | $7,200.00 |
| Tax reserve % (input) | 25% |
| Billable hours a week (input) | 25 |
| Working weeks a year (input) | 46 |
| Target margin % (input) | 0% |
| Take-home income you want (input) | $65,000.00 |
| Revenue needed | $93,866.67 |
| Billable hours a year | 1,150 |
| Hourly rate to charge | $81.62 |
| Day rate (8 hours) | $652.99 |
| Naive rate (income / 2,080 hours) | $31.25 |
Computed with the same formulas as the free calculators on this site. Change any input in the calculator above to see your own numbers.
Video editing rate calculator: how much to charge per hour
Type your own take-home goal, yearly expenses, tax reserve and billable hours below. The "Hourly rate to charge" line is the number every per-minute and per-project price on this page is built from.
For an editor the expenses input is mostly software, storage and the machine. The example total is made of these lines:
| Expense | Per year | What it stands for |
|---|---|---|
| Editing software subscriptions | $900 | what you pay per year for your editing and audio apps |
| Music, stock footage and plugin licences | $600 | yearly licences you do not bill to one client |
| Cloud storage and backup drives | $900 | project archive plus two backup copies |
| Hardware replacement | $1,500 | a $4,500 editing workstation spread over 3 years |
| Internet, insurance, accounting, other | $3,300 | everything else the business pays for |
| Total | $7,200.00 | the "yearly expenses" input |
Hardware is spread over the years it lasts, so each billable hour carries $1.30 of the workstation. The IRS describes depreciable business property as property expected to last more than one year (IRS Topic no. 704, Depreciation); how you deduct a computer on your return is a question for a tax professional, but for pricing the point is simply that the next machine is paid for by this year's hours.
The 25% tax reserve is an assumption, not a rule. The IRS states that the self-employment tax rate is 15.3%, made of 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare (IRS: Self-employment tax), and income tax comes on top. The IRS also says individuals generally have to make estimated tax payments if they expect to owe $1,000 or more, across four payment periods a year (IRS: Estimated taxes). Ask a licensed tax professional what percentage fits you.
| Unit | Working | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Per hour | $93,866.67 / 1,150 billable hours | $81.62 |
| Per 8-hour day on site or on call | 8 x the unrounded hourly rate | $652.99 |
| Per month, four 10-minute videos | 4 x 16.25 = 65 hours x $81.62 | $5,305.30 |
The freelance hourly rate calculator guide covers billable hours and the tax reserve in depth, and the freelance day rate calculator guide covers day and half-day pricing. To keep the rate and a project quote in one file, the freelance rate and quote calculator does both steps.
How many editing hours go into one finished minute?
It depends on the type of edit, so set an hours-per-finished-minute figure for each kind of work you sell. One finished minute then costs that figure times your hourly rate.
| Edit type | What it includes | Assumed hours per finished minute | Editing cost per finished minute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple cut | trim, tidy the audio, add a title card | 0.5 | $40.81 |
| Standard edit | b-roll, captions, music, basic colour | 1 | $81.62 |
| Heavy edit | multi-camera, story-led, motion graphics, sound design | 2 | $163.24 |
These cover the edit only. Footage review is a separate line because it scales with the raw footage, not the finished length: at an assumed 1.5 hours of review per raw hour, each hour of footage the client sends costs $122.43. A revision round is its own line too, and so is the fixed hour of export and admin.
The three hour figures are starting assumptions. Log raw hours, finished minutes and hours worked for a few jobs, then divide. Your own ratio is the only one that matters.
Video editing pricing per project: YouTube video, wedding highlight, 10 short clips
Add the four blocks of hours for the project and multiply by the hourly rate. The per-finished-minute figure in the last column is the project price divided by the finished minutes, so it is an output, not an input.
| Project | Review hours (raw footage x 1.5) | Editing hours | Revision hours | Admin | Total hours | Project price | Per finished minute |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10-minute YouTube video | 1.5 h x 1.5 = 2.25 | 10 min x 1 = 10 | 2 x 1.5 = 3 | 1 | 16.25 | $1,326.33 | $132.63 |
| 4-minute wedding highlight film | 6 h x 1.5 = 9 | 4 min x 2 = 8 | 2 x 1.5 = 3 | 1 | 21 | $1,714.02 | $428.51 |
| Pack of 10 short-form clips (45 seconds each) | 1 h x 1.5 = 1.5 | 7.5 min x 1 = 7.5 | 1 x 2 = 2 | 1 | 12 | $979.44 | $130.59 |
The wedding film is the shortest piece and the highest price, because 6 hours of multi-camera footage has to be watched before a 4-minute story can be cut from it. The short-form pack assumes all 10 clips are pulled from one 1-hour recording and get one shared revision round of 2 hours; that works out at $97.94 a clip. If each clip arrives as separate footage, the review hours change and so does the price.
Write the scope into the quote: raw footage hours, finished length, number of revision rounds. A quote wording checklist is in the freelance quote template guide.
Why do video editing rates per minute break on footage-heavy jobs?
A per-finished-minute rate assumes every finished minute needs the same hours, and review time breaks that assumption. Two jobs with the same finished length can differ by hours of footage, and the per-minute price does not move.
Take the 10-minute video above. From 1.5 hours of footage it needs 16.25 hours, which is $132.63 per finished minute. Now a client sends 6 hours of footage for the same 10 minutes. Review goes from 2.25 hours to 9 hours.
| Line | 1.5 hours of raw footage | 6 hours of raw footage |
|---|---|---|
| Review hours (raw x 1.5) | 2.25 | 9 |
| Editing + revisions + admin hours | 14 | 14 |
| Total hours | 16.25 | 23 |
| Price the hours need | $1,326.33 | $1,877.26 |
| Price at $132.63 per finished minute | $1,326.33 | $1,326.33 |
| Shortfall | none | $550.93 |
| What you earn per hour | $81.62 | $57.67 |
The per-minute quote leaves $550.93 unpaid and cuts the hour to $57.67. The fix is to quote in three parts instead of one:
- Editing: finished minutes x hours per minute x rate. 10 x 1 x $81.62 = $816.20.
- Footage review: raw hours x 1.5 x rate. 6 hours of footage = $734.58; 1.5 hours = $183.65.
- Revisions and admin: fixed hours x rate. 2 rounds and 1 admin hour = $326.48.
The three lines add up to $1,877.26 for the footage-heavy job and $1,326.33 for the light one. A per-minute rate is still fine for repeat work where the footage ratio is steady; state the raw footage it includes and price anything beyond it per raw hour.
How much to charge for video editing as a beginner
Use beginner inputs, not a beginner "going rate". A new editor usually has a lower income goal and fewer billable hours, and also needs more hours per finished minute. The first lowers the price and the second raises it.
Worked example: Beginner assumptions: $30,000 take-home, $3,600 yearly expenses, 20% tax reserve, 20 billable hours a week for 46 weeks.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Business expenses a year (input) | $3,600.00 |
| Tax reserve % (input) | 20% |
| Billable hours a week (input) | 20 |
| Working weeks a year (input) | 46 |
| Target margin % (input) | 0% |
| Take-home income you want (input) | $30,000.00 |
| Revenue needed | $41,100.00 |
| Billable hours a year | 920 |
| Hourly rate to charge | $44.67 |
| Day rate (8 hours) | $357.39 |
| Naive rate (income / 2,080 hours) | $14.42 |
Computed with the same formulas as the free calculators on this site. Change any input in the calculator above to see your own numbers.
| Line | Experienced (ex1) | Beginner (ex2) |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly rate | $81.62 | $44.67 |
| Review hours per raw hour | 1.5 | 2 |
| Editing hours per finished minute | 1 | 1.5 |
| Hours per revision round / admin | 1.5 / 1 | 2 / 1.5 |
| Total hours | 16.25 | 23.5 |
| Price if every hour is billed | $1,326.33 | $1,049.75 |
| Price if the beginner bills 16.25 hours | - | $725.89 (earns $30.89 an hour) |
At $44.67 an hour and 23.5 hours, the beginner's price for the same video is $1,049.75, or $104.98 per finished minute. A client may not pay for learning time, so a beginner can choose to bill the 16.25 hours a faster editor would need. That is a decision to earn $30.89 an hour on the job. Make it knowingly, log your hours, and the gap closes as your hours per finished minute come down.
How to price a rush edit and extra revision rounds
Price both as hours. A rush costs you the hours you work outside your normal week plus the paid work you push back, so count those hours and bill them at your rate.
| Line | Hours | Amount at $81.62 |
|---|---|---|
| Base edit | 16.25 | $1,326.33 |
| Rush: evening and weekend hours, other work moved | 4 | $326.48 |
| Rush price | 20.25 | $1,652.81 |
| Third revision round (beyond the two included) | 1.5 | $122.43 |
Four extra hours on a 16.25-hour job is 24.6% more. That percentage is a result of the hours, and it changes with the job: the same 4 hours on the 21-hour wedding film is a smaller share. If you prefer a markup field, work out the hours first and convert.
Revisions work the same way. The quote includes two rounds; a third is 1.5 hours, $122.43. Say what a round is (one consolidated list of changes) so that ten separate emails are not ten free rounds.
Common video editing pricing mistakes
- Using a salary rate. $65,000 / 2,080 hours = $31.25 an hour. The 16.25-hour video then prices at $507.81, short by $818.52, because tax, expenses and unbilled hours are left out.
- Quoting per finished minute without a footage limit. See the 6-hour example above.
- Treating a 1-minute video as a tenth of a 10-minute one. With 0.5 hours of footage, one revision round of 0.5 hours and the same admin hour, a 1-minute edit is 3.25 hours, $265.27. Fixed hours do not shrink with length.
- Leaving software and hardware out of the rate. Subscriptions, drives and the next workstation are paid from billed hours or from your pocket.
- Copying another editor's price. It reflects their costs, speed and hours, not yours.
The same hours-times-rate method prices other creative work: see how much to charge for logo design and how much to charge for social media management.
Video editing price formulas for Excel and Google Sheets
Five formulas reproduce every figure on this page. Inputs go in column B, with percentages typed as percentages.
Hourly rate
=ROUND((B2/(1-B4)+B3)/(B5*B6),2)B2 = take-home goal, B3 = yearly expenses, B4 = tax reserve %, B5 = billable hours a week, B6 = working weeks. Returns 81.62 for the example.
Project hours
=B8*B9+B10*B11+B12*B13+B14B8 = raw footage hours, B9 = review hours per raw hour, B10 = finished minutes, B11 = editing hours per finished minute, B12 = revision rounds, B13 = hours per round, B14 = admin hours. Returns 16.25.
Project price
=ROUND(B15*B7,2)B15 = project hours, B7 = hourly rate. Returns 1326.33.
Price per finished minute
=ROUND(B16/B10,2)B16 = project price. Returns 132.63. Recalculate whenever B8 changes; do not reuse it for a job with more footage.
Rush price
=ROUND((B15+B17)*B7,2)B17 = extra rush hours (4 in the example). Returns 1652.81.
Keep review hours per raw hour and editing hours per finished minute in their own cells. After each job, replace them with what you logged.
Video editing price sheet vs per-minute rate cards: what to put in yours
A per-minute rate card is quick to send; a price sheet built on hours tells you whether that card pays you. Use the sheet to set the numbers and the card to present them.
What to put in your video editing price sheet: take-home goal, yearly expenses, tax reserve and billable hours; review hours per raw hour; editing hours per finished minute for each edit type; hours per revision round; admin hours; and outputs for total hours, project price, price per finished minute and price per extra raw hour.
Freelance Rate & Quote Calculator
The spreadsheet version of this guide for Excel & Google Sheets: type your numbers into the highlighted cells and the formulas do the rest. One-time $14.99, no subscription, instant download.
See the freelance pricing template →Buy now — $14.99All 7 templates — $49Instant access by email after checkout via Payhip.
The freelance pricing template is $14.99 one-time and works in Excel and Google Sheets. Step 1 returns your break-even hourly rate and a recommended rate on a profit margin you set. Step 2 quotes a project from estimated project hours, the hourly rate, a materials or software cost and a rush or complexity markup. It has no footage-ratio or per-minute rows, so add up the edit hours with the formulas above and type the total into its project hours cell. It is a pricing sheet, not a branded quote document.
Step-by-step: How Much to Charge for Video Editing: Per Hour, Per Minute and Per Project
- Find your hourly rate. Gross your take-home goal up for tax, add yearly expenses including software, storage and hardware, and divide by billable hours. The example gives $81.62.
- Measure the raw footage. Ask how many hours of footage the client will send. Multiply by your review hours per raw hour (1.5 in the example).
- Set hours per finished minute. Pick the edit type and its hours per finished minute, then multiply by the finished length. A standard 10-minute edit at 1 hour a minute is 10 hours.
- Add revision rounds and admin. Count the rounds included and the hours each takes, plus export, upload and invoicing time. The example uses 2 rounds of 1.5 hours and 1 admin hour.
- Multiply hours by rate. 16.25 hours x $81.62 = $1,326.33. Divide by 10 finished minutes for the per-minute figure, $132.63.
- State the limits in the quote. Write down the raw footage hours and revision rounds the price includes, and the price of each extra raw hour ($122.43) and each rush hour ($81.62).
Skip the setup: Freelance Rate & Quote Calculator
The spreadsheet version of this guide for Excel & Google Sheets: type your numbers into the highlighted cells and the formulas do the rest. One-time $14.99, no subscription, instant download.
See the Freelance Rate & Quote Calculator →Buy now — $14.99All 7 templates — $49Instant access by email after checkout via Payhip.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I charge for video edits?
Charge the hours the edit takes times your hourly rate. With an assumed 16.25 hours for a 10-minute YouTube video and a rate of $81.62 built from a $65,000 take-home goal, the price is $1,326.33. Replace the hours and the rate with your own.
How much to charge for a 1 minute video edit?
More than a tenth of a 10-minute price, because review, revisions and admin do not shrink in proportion. With 0.5 hours of footage, 1 hour of editing, a 0.5-hour revision round and 1 admin hour, a 1-minute edit is 3.25 hours, $265.27 at $81.62.
What is a good hourly rate for video editing?
A good rate is one that pays your take-home goal after tax and expenses across the hours you can bill. The example on this page gives $81.62 for an experienced editor's inputs and $44.67 for a beginner's. Neither is a market average; both come from the stated assumptions.
How much does it cost to edit a video per minute?
Per-minute cost is project price divided by finished minutes, so it varies with footage and edit type. In the worked examples it is $132.63 for a 10-minute YouTube video and $428.51 for a 4-minute wedding highlight cut from 6 hours of footage.
How much should I charge for video editing as a beginner?
Run the same sum with beginner inputs. At $44.67 an hour and an assumed 23.5 hours, a 10-minute video is $1,049.75. Billing only the 16.25 hours a faster editor needs brings it to $725.89, which pays you $30.89 an hour.
How much should I charge for video editing per month?
Add the hours for the month's videos and multiply by your rate. Four 10-minute videos at 16.25 hours each is 65 hours, $5,305.30 at $81.62. Fix the number of videos, raw footage hours and revision rounds in the retainer.
Should I charge a rush fee for video editing?
Yes, and price it as hours. Count the evening or weekend hours and the work you move, then bill them at your rate. Four rush hours on the 16.25-hour video add $326.48, for $1,652.81 in total.
Sources
- IRS: Self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare taxes) — self-employment tax rate is 15.3% = 12.4% Social Security + 2.9% Medicare
- IRS: Estimated taxes — individuals generally must make estimated tax payments if they expect to owe $1,000 or more; the year is divided into four payment periods
- IRS Topic no. 704, Depreciation — depreciable property must be used in a business and be expected to last more than one year
I'm not a contractor, landlord or accountant. I build the pricing maths, and every number on this page shows its working so you can check it instead of trusting it. Guides are drafted with AI assistance; every worked figure is computed by the same code as the free calculators. How these guides are made → · Watch the breakdowns on YouTube →