Hello you,
Now we’ve officially moved across to the wonderful world of Substack - this also means the cadence of the newsletters will be changing. And changing for the better. How does a Women Who Contract: Weekly Wednesday Digest sound? Ok, I know it is a bit of a mouthful. But you get the gist of the digest.
Each week I’ll be:
Covering a topic - anything from personal development to business strategy to freelance financials (and yes, I will be taking requests).
Answering real questions that’s come up in the community.
And, sharing what’s coming up so you never miss an event.
The original monthly emails served a purpose. But now on, this platform, where I am hoping to build a stronger community, that approach feels quite redundant.
So let’s kick start this edition with knowing your worth.
Knowing your worth, sets the tone for your contracting career.
September seems to be giving an energy of opportunity as LinkedIn seems to be popping with ‘I’m Hiring’ content. It really does appear as if companies are on their recruitment drive for temporary staff before we enter into the Christmas period.
But just because they are hiring, it doesn’t mean they always have the budget. Over the summer I had a number of offers and opportunities landing on my desk. This isn’t a humble brag. It is fact. I have personally built a network to be in this position. And hence why I launched this community. I want to share piece of that pie - thus I am also hosting a free session: ‘The Green Room’ next month covering the visibility. Hope to see you there.
Anyways, I noticed something rather alarming.
The day rates for some of the roles were below the average to what we typically see in the UK.
When I say average, I know that freelance and contract day rates in the UK vary broadly across sectors. Standard corporate sectors like Tech(bros), (man in) Finance, and Management Consulting command the highest premiums due to things like specialised technical skill shortages, while Creative, Agency, and Construction fields have wider variances depending on the project scope and location.
(Yes, funny how the white, middle class, male dominated fields seem to have higher premiums - hmm, grumble, curse).
So here’s a Google Gemini made Matrix, to give you a bit of a flavour:
Inside or Outside IR35 (UK)
Inside IR35 and Outside IR35 rates are not equal. If an employer offers you the exact same day rate for both options, the Inside IR35 option represents a major pay cut.
Because Inside IR35 contractors face heavy payroll deductions, they should look to command a premium rate to match the financial efficiency of a standard corporate B2B structure.
To maintain the exact same take-home cash after taxes, an Inside IR35 day rate must be 25% to 30% higher than an Outside IR35 rate. This premium accounts for the shifting of employment taxes and the loss of corporate tax allowances.
This ‘ere table below illustrates the standard market adjustments required to match net earnings:
Still with me? Good.
And because I’m not about leaving people out, here’s a more global view:
🇺🇸 United States: The US contracting market rarely negotiates in “day rates,” overwhelmingly preferring hourly billing. Because of massive corporate budgets, specialized US talent commands the highest baseline rates globally.
Average Range: $400 to $1,200+ per day equivalent ($50 to $150+ per hour).
The Dynamics: High-demand roles like Technical Project Managers and specialised Tech Writers easily stretch toward $1,000+ per day. However, contractors must fund their own expensive benefits (like private health insurance and 401k matching), inflating the base rates required to thrive.
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates (Dubai): The UAE operates as a highly lucrative, regional executive hub where contracting has surged significantly. Rates track roughly 20% higher than the UK for local regional clients.
Average Range: AED 1,500 to AED 4,000+ per day (£320 to £850+ / $400 to $1,100+ per day).
The Dynamics: Mid-level project managers and marketing specialists start around AED 1,500 to AED 2,500 per day, while senior strategy consultants and top-tier product leads routinely scale past AED 3,600+ ($1,000) per day. The massive draw here is the 0% personal income tax framework, making take-home pay exceptionally high.
🇪🇺 Europe: Europe cannot be treated as a single entity; it is heavily split by region, local cost of living, and localised labour laws.
Average Range: €350 to €850+ per day (highly localised).
Western Europe & DACH (Germany, France, Netherlands): Command premium rates. Freelance invoices frequently run €600 to €800+ per day for senior corporate/tech capabilities.
Eastern Europe (Poland, Czechia, Romania): Serves as the premier “nearshore” hub. Highly qualified BAs, developers, and writers charge highly competitive rates tracking closer to €250 to €450 per day, presenting immense cost-to-quality value for international brands.
Reference: All the above info was found via Google Gemini. Sept 2026. If you know of anything to be different, please comment and share your knowledge:
Where does that leave us?
The work I do across Change and Communications - I know that the typical Inside IR35 day rate is roughly £650 per day. Outside can be £500 to £550. If I am doing a more consulting engagement (Outside IR35), I can level up that day rate. If something is a bit more admin led, I can flex.
I have a strong portfolio of work with references. I know the money I’ve saved teams, the impact I have made and examples to share. You need that too. Not just for your CV to standout or to excel in an interview - but to also be able to demand your worth.
So you can imagine my absolute horror when I got offered an inside IR35 role at a rather senior level at rather big and global consultancy firm at £350 p/d. Even when I challenged it, the response was ‘this is the budget’. So, as much as I would have loved the role, I had to say no. Because I know my worth. I also know when someone is taking advantage.
Last week, I had another recruiter contact me for another Change Manager role at £450 p/d inside IR35. A senior PM who I work closely with also told me how she was offered a role that £300 below her average day rate. Ugh. No.
So here’s something you can do. Spend time over the coming months researching the roles that you do, look at the different salaries, day rates and consulting fees. The ones that are offering ‘more’ - how much of that job spec do you know that you can do with your eyes closed? How much of it would be learning on the job? Do you need to upskill?
And once you have all your research in one place. Create your own average day rate table for:
Inside IR35
Outside IR35
Project (as in a total cost to deliver something)*
Hourly, that can used for international clients or fractional.*
*I’ll cover fractional and project rates next week. I don’t want to overwhelm you with too much information all at once. Please do get in touch if you charge your clients by project or hourly rates, I would love to use your feedback and experience in the letter next week.
Knowing your worth and charging the correct amount sets your contracting career up for success. Sure there might be times where you might take less, perhaps for exposure or learning or opportunity. Always weigh up risk vs reward. It is also worth noting that one person really might need that average pay to cover their bills where another might be able to afford to take a little less. So, it isn’t always black and white if you’re comparing against your peers.
Do the work. Know your worth. Be ready to negotiate (another letter/article on that in a few weeks).
Keep smashing those glass ceilings.
Lucy xo
Join me and other community members this Friday at 12pm UK Time for the September Roundtable 🪩
P.S. Just in-case you missed it: I pulled together the full collection of previously shared Coaching Content and Activities. You can find all that here ↓
Wonderful Lucy to have more precise information of both inside/outside considerations. Thank you. Many of us as contractors do take on work that is outside of the realm and it does carry other risks/facets to be noted.