NUJ Rate for the Job: recent rates for Photography / news

Updated: 2025-09-27

These rates have been reported by members of the National Union of Journalists and others, and printed in the Freelance, newsletter of London Freelance Branch. They are sorted by publisher/publication, then by date (most recent first). TIP: Use the "Find in page" command under your browser's "Edit" or "Search" menu to be sure of finding all occurrences of a publication/publisher. AND do note the year in which the rate was reported! See also the Freelance Fees Guide, which gives general recommendations. And read the disclaimer and the key to exactly what the entries mean.

Photography / news Photography - whether paid by the day, the hour or per picture - whose primary use is in a national newspaper. (Generic rates for publishing groups appear at the end.) See also regional newspapers. If you are interested, the archived rates are here.
Tell us what you've been paid for Photography / news		Freelance Fees Guide
Publication / Programme - details & terms	Group	Year		Total paid	GR	XXXX
Daily Mail online 2022 image used without permission or credit online , terms - Issued retrospective invoice Non Exclusive, Single Use Only, One Year From Date of	_Assoc	2024		350.00
Daily Star paid for unauthorised use of a photo		2024		150.00
Financial Times daily rate for story coverage and portrait photography	_Nikkei	2022		300.00	GR
Guardian day	_BarcB	2025		298.00
Guardian day rate (over 4 hours) - house agreement rate	_GMG	2025		304.85	HA
Guardian gallery or slideshow (for all images in it from one supplier)	_GMG	2025		102.50	HA
Guardian flash (use of image in a video)	_GMG	2025		30.75	HA
Guardian speculative image up to 5 square inches	_GMG	2025		82.00	HA
Guardian speculative image over 5 square inches	_GMG	2025		153.75	HA
Guardian stock image - minimum	_GMG	2025		63.44	HA
Guardian stock image - 50 to 80 square inches	_GMG	2025		110.95	HA
Guardian stock image - 216 to 432 square inches	_GMG	2025		215.65	HA
Guardian day rate (under 4 hours) - house agreement rate	_GMG	2025		210.62	HA
MailOnline basic video shot on phone and posted on socials	_Assoc	2024		200.00
Mirror online set of five picutres - licensed re-use at 40-20-10		2023		200.00
Neue Zuercher Zeitung (Zurich) day		2025		450.00
New York Times day	_NYT	2025		650.00
New York Times photojournalism day rate	_NYT	2022		450.00	GR	O
Politico Europe day		2025		500.00
Politico day		2025		500.00
Sun paid for unauthorised use of a photo on three different web pages		2024		600.00
Telegraph day	_BarcB	2025		225.00
The Times and Sunday Times portraits and photojournalism day rate	_NI	2022		300.00	GR
Times day	_NI	2025		250.00
Wall Street Journal day	_NI	2025		500.00
Reuters shifts - covering breaking news and features (plus mileage at 45p/mile) , terms - you, [Photographer]... agree that Reuters may publish and distribute the Content to Reuters customers, which include other news organizations around the world, for their further use, display and publication.	_Reuter	2023		225.00
Yahoo! news photoshoot , terms - all rights to Yahoo, in an astounding contract	_Yahoo	2025		250.00
Key to the rates, by column:
1 Publication / Programme, any details of work and licence
2 Owner at the time the rate was reported, where known	Group
3 The year in which the rate was reported		Year
4 Currency: either or or (US)
5 Amount paid (total of basic licence and extra licences for web use, database resale...)				Amount
7 "Going Rate" according to experienced NUJ members - do try to better it:					GR
or Minimum rate set out in NUJ House Agreement:					HA
8 Underpaid, in the fallible opinion of the Freelance editor:				50.00		X
or Just sometimes we're pleasantly surprised:				1500.00		O

Other recent rates:

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