NUJ Rate vs Market Day Rate Comparator for UK Freelance Journalists
The NUJ minimum and what an outlet actually pays are two different numbers, and knowing the size of the gap is what turns a fee discussion into a negotiation. The difficulty is that neither figure is published in a form you can look up mid-conversation.
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NUJ Rate vs Day Rate Comparator
Compare the NUJ Freelance Fees Guide recommended minimum against a typical UK market day-rate range for the same assignment.
Select an assignment type and outlet type to compare rates.
How it works
- Two dropdowns: assignment type (ten options, from a ~500 word news story to a video package or a social media day) and outlet type (national, regional, trade/B2B, digital-only).
- It shows two hardcoded figures side by side — a single NUJ recommended minimum and a typical market low-high range — for that combination. For example a ~500 word national news story shows a £220 minimum against a £250-£400 range; a 1,500 word national feature shows £450 against £500-£1,200.
- The gap analysis takes the midpoint of the market range, ((low + high) / 2), and expresses the difference from the NUJ figure as a percentage: round(((midpoint - NUJ) / NUJ) x 100).
- That percentage drives one of three fixed messages. If the midpoint falls below the NUJ minimum you get an amber warning that you are entitled to negotiate up. Above 40% you get a green note saying the NUJ figure is a floor and not a target. Anything in between gets a neutral note that the market is broadly in line.
When to use it
- Preparing for a fee conversation where you want to know whether the offer is below the union floor or merely below what the market pays.
- Deciding whether to push back on a regional or digital commission, where the two figures often sit closest together.
- Explaining to a client why the same words cost more for a national than for a trade title.
- Working out where a specialism premium should sit relative to the floor.
What it does not do
- Both tables are hardcoded illustrative figures — the code itself labels the NUJ column as illustrative and a single figure. This is not a live read of the NUJ Freelance Fees Guide, and there is no date on the numbers. Check the current guide before quoting a minimum to an editor.
- The 40% threshold that decides whether the market counts as well above the minimum is an arbitrary hardcoded cut-off, not a published benchmark.
- There is no input for experience, specialism, urgency, exclusivity or rights, all of which move a real fee more than the outlet tier does.
- NUJ minimums are a negotiating position for members, not law. No publisher is obliged to meet them, and quoting one does not create an entitlement.
More tools
This is one of the free tools on UK JournoHub. See the full tools index for the rest.