Rush Fee
An additional charge for expedited or faster-than-normal turnaround.
Definition
A rush fee is an additional charge for completing work faster than the standard timeline. Rush fees compensate for the disruption and costs of expedited work: overtime, rescheduling other projects, additional resources, or higher-priority shipping.
Rush fees typically range from 15-100% above standard pricing, depending on how much faster the work is needed and the difficulty of acceleration. Clear rush policies set expectations and give clients choices.
Why It Matters
Rush fees serve two purposes: they compensate for the real costs of expedited work, and they discourage unnecessary urgency. Without rush fees, every client claims their project is urgent, creating constant fire drills.
Having a published rush policy makes conversations easier. You can offer options: "Standard turnaround is 10 days. For 5 days, there's a 25% rush fee. For 48 hours, it's 50% additional."
Examples
- 1
A design studio charges 50% rush fee for turnaround under 48 hours, 25% for under one week.
- 2
A printer offers three tiers: standard (7-day, base price), quick (3-day, +30%), rush (next-day, +75%).
- 3
A consultant quotes rush pricing for an emergency strategy session: double the hourly rate for same-week scheduling.
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