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Scope Creep Cost Calculator
Enter the original project, the work added after signing and the revision rounds. The calculator shows the extra hours, the lost margin and the effective rate you end up earning.
Assumes the fee stays at the original hours multiplied by the rate. If the client pays for the added work, the effective rate stays at the agreed rate; the loss appears when the work is absorbed for free.
Scope creep is a discount you did not quote
Six added hours and two extra revision rounds on a forty-hour project are ten extra hours. At seventy-five an hour, that is 750 of work absorbed for free, and the effective rate on the original fee falls from 75 to 60. The project still looks paid; the margin has moved to the client.
Price the clause, not the intention. A contract that defines the deliverables and the number of revision rounds turns an awkward conversation into a change order.
Revision rounds are the quiet multiplier
Each round has its own cost: reading the feedback, reworking the file, exporting and re-presenting. Two rounds at two hours are four hours even if the changes look small. Unlimited revisions is not a service level; it is an open-ended liability.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a revision?
A change within the agreed scope, such as correcting an error or adjusting within the brief. New requirements, new pages or a different direction are new work.
Should I charge for the extra work or absorb it?
Absorb it only as a deliberate relationship decision with a known cost. The calculator gives you the cost of that decision.
How many revision rounds are normal?
Two or three rounds are common for design and content work. The number matters less than naming it in the contract and pricing what comes after.
Does this include opportunity cost?
No. The hours could have gone to another client. Add the lost billable value separately if the project blocked other work.