How We Handle the Money Stuff š³
We believe in keeping billing simple, transparent, and fair. No surprises, no hidden fees, and no confusing invoices. Here's how it all works:
Time Tracking & Billing
The 15-Minute Rule We track time in 15-minute chunks and round to the nearest quarter hour. So if something takes 8 minutes, you pay for 15 minutes. If it takes 23 minutes, you pay for 30 minutes. It's simple math that keeps invoicing straightforward.
Monthly Minimums (When You Have Ongoing Tasks) If you've got us on retainer or have ongoing tasks assigned to us, there's a 30-minute monthly minimum. This helps us stay familiar with your project and be ready to jump in when you need us. Think of it as a "stay connected" fee.
What Counts as Billable Time? Pretty much everything related to your project:
Actually building and coding stuff
Testing to make sure things work
Researching solutions to your specific challenges
Email conversations about your project
Quick calls to clarify requirements
Writing up summaries and documentation
What We Don't Charge For
General industry knowledge we already have
Our own learning time for new technologies (unless you specifically requested we learn something new)
Administrative stuff like sending invoices
Our mistakes that require redoing work
Payment Terms
When You Get Invoiced
Monthly for ongoing work
Upon completion for smaller projects
By milestone for larger projects (we'll agree on this upfront)
When Payment is Due Net 30 days. That means you have a full month to pay after you receive the invoice. We think that's pretty reasonable.
How to Pay We accept:
Bank transfers (preferred - no fees!)
E-transfers
Checks (if you're old school)
Credit cards (though we might add a small processing fee)
Late Payments Look, we get it - sometimes things get busy and payments slip through the cracks. Just drop us a line if you're going to be late. We're pretty understanding.
If an account goes more than 45 days overdue, we might pause work until things get caught up. Nothing personal - we've just got our own bills to pay!
For accounts that go really late (60+ days), there might be a small monthly service charge. But honestly, we'd rather just work it out with you directly.
Third-Party Costs
Plugin Licenses & Premium Themes When we need to buy premium plugins or themes for your project, we'll pass those costs along at exactly what we paid - no markup. You'll see the receipts, and it'll be a separate line item on your invoice.
Other Services Sometimes we need to purchase other services for your project (stock photos, specialized tools, etc.). Same deal - we pass along the exact cost with receipts.
Hosting Costs If you purchase hosting through us, those costs are separate from development time and billed monthly based on your actual hosting plan.
How We Keep Things Transparent
Detailed Time Tracking Every invoice includes a breakdown of:
What we worked on
How long each task took
When the work was done
Clear descriptions so you know what you're paying for
Project Updates For ongoing work, we send weekly summaries so you always know what's happening with your time budget.
No Surprise Charges If something's going to take longer than expected, we'll let you know before we exceed any estimates. We don't like billing surprises any more than you like receiving them.
A Few Practical Notes
Estimates vs. Actual Time When we give you an estimate, that's our best guess based on the information we have. Sometimes things go faster, sometimes they take longer. We only bill for actual time worked, never the estimate.
Scope Changes If you decide you want something different or additional while we're working, that's totally fine! We'll just let you know how the change affects timing and cost before we proceed.
Questions About Your Bill? Just ask! We're happy to explain any line item or discuss how time was spent. We want you to feel good about what you're paying for.
Payment Issues? If you're having trouble with a payment or need to work out a payment plan, please just talk to us. We're reasonable people and we'd rather work something out than create stress for anyone.
Our Promise
We promise to:
Track time accurately and honestly
Bill only for work that benefits your project
Communicate clearly about costs and timelines
Work with you if payment issues arise
Keep detailed records so you know exactly what you're paying for
Questions?
This whole billing thing should be the boring part of our relationship - straightforward and predictable so we can focus on building cool stuff for your website.
If you have questions about billing, time tracking, or anything money-related, just ask. We're happy to explain our process or discuss how we can make billing work better for your situation.
Contact Us:
Questions about billing? Email us at contact@darn.pro.
Because nobody likes billing surprises, and everybody likes to know what they're paying for.