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Member only guide to the Australian book industry.
Freelance Writing
Freelance rates of pay vary considerably, depending on a variety of factors including the type of organisation commissioning the work and the level of experience of the writer.
Please note that these rates are applicable to short-term, one-off freelance writing projects only. They are not intended as a benchmark for sustained periods of independent writing.
The below rates are estimates only and do not seek to represent actual market conditions – some commissioning editors may be able to offer more than this and some may offer significantly less.
MEAA recommends the below rates for 2025:
Per word
$1.08
Per day
$1154.53
Per half day (2/3 day rate)
$769.33
Per hour
$289.17
1000 words or more
$1173.95 then $1.08 per word.
For current market rates, check out RATE TRACKER on MEAA’s website. This rate tracker has real data updated by freelancers based on their own experience of who pays what.
Freelance Writing rates were reviewed and updated in December 2024. The next review and update will take place in December 2026.
A percentage increase of 3.75% has been applied for the 2025 Freelance Writing rates, informed by the MEAA’s Enterprise Agreement for journalists. We appreciate it may take organisations a budget cycle to update their own rates.
