The following is an example of a letter to be filled out on acceptance of a commission.  

Members wishing to avoid being taxed at source should familiarise _x000d_ themselves with the SARS Tax Directive which explains the two stages of process that the _x000d_ department uses to establish a freelancer's relationship with any particular client. _x000d_ _x000d_

Generic layout for editorial commission acceptance letter

Template of terms and conditions for a single editorial commission

Safrea's terms & conditions document recommends that we distinguish between "Kill fees" and "cancellation fees" and negotiate for the following.

If you know the Small Claims Court procedure, the battle is more than half won

The process starts with a Letter of Demand simply stating that at the top and requesting for the amount owed to be paid within 14 days, OR ELSE... Very often this very first step is enough to prusuade a long overdue debtor to pay up...

Safrea's typical minimum rates are a good starting point, but how much does it cost you to run your business? This should be the basis of all freelance charging.

Determining your word rate sounds easy - just look up Safrea's typical minimum rates. However, journalism is not the same as copywriting, which is not the same as fiction writing. Should you charge R2.50 per word regardless?

Safrea member Georgina Guedes discusses the rationale behind different word rates.

 

Handling my own account: The freelancer's full time job by Caroline Cowan
2 February 2012 
Opinion
 

 

 

 

 

Over the past year I have discovered that being a freelancer may lend itself to flexi time and more freedom to do other things but being a serious freelancer is a full time job. Instead of trundling off to the beach whenever there is a gap between briefs or lying in when the work is slow, I find that I have a set working routine that involves being at my desk at 7am, having the same attachment to my Blackberry as any other busy exec, and a Moleskine full of daily to do’s. But how did I get here?