NUJ Rate for the Job: Shifts / online

Rates archived as at 2025-07-09

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.

Shifts / online Writing and editing work primarily for online-only use, paid by the day or the hour. In August 2012 we moved rates for online editions of newspapers and magazines into the 'news' or 'mags' listings. These are archived rates. The current rates are here.
Tell us what you've been paid for Shifts / online		Freelance Fees Guide
Publication / Programme - details & terms	Group	Year		Total paid	GR	XXXX
Electronic Telegraph subbing day	_Holl	1997		120.00		X
Financial Times subbing day	_Pearson	1999		105.00		X
FT.com day	_Pearson	1998		105.00		X
Guardian 8 hours 'community management', community coordination training journalists on community issues etc.	_GMG	2013		85.00	GR	XXXX
Infrastructure Journal (TopRight Group) reporting day		2013		106.50
Mail on Sunday writing day	_Assoc	1998		150.00
Top Gear website Subbing, per day	_BBC	1998		105.00
Adfero news feed 2 x 200 word pieces per hour		2008		7.00		XX
Advertising agency Flash designer per hour (from gisajob.com)		2006		26.00
BBC editing day, 10 hours includes casual holiday pay (works out as £17 per shift)	_BBC	2013		157.00	GR
BBC Audiobooks per day - website update	_BBC	2007		250.00
BBC Ceefax subbing day	_BBC	1998		126.00
BBC multimedia news content editing day (10 hours)	_BBC	2011		140.00
BBC website editing day	_BBC	1998		105.00		X
British Educational Communications and Technology Agency www.bec subbing, per hour	_HMG	2005		28.10
Business-to-Business Publisher junior HTML editor - with HTML, CSS, Photoshop - per hour (from contractoruk.com)		2006		15.00
Channel 4 writing programme support booklets + web material, per day	_C4	2002		155.00
Channel 4 News online news day (8 hours)	_ITN	2011		130.00
Channel 4 website per day writing/research	_C4	2000		140.00
Channel 4 websites writing, per day	_C4	2005		155.00
Channel 4 websites subbing, per day	_C4	2005		190.00
Channel 4 websites web design, per day	_C4	2005		250.00
condenet.com subbing and editing, $25-$50 per hour equals for 7-hour day up to	_CondN	2001		242.00
Corporate websites web design, per day (7 hours)	_C4	2005		350.00	GR
English Heritage website web editing, 5200 words	_HMG	2013		800.00
ENN.ie Electric News Network reporting shift		2005		100.00		X
European Oncology Nursing Society (EONS) web content writing per hour		2013		28.00		O
ExaroNews.com day shift (entry level)		2011		80.00		XXX
ExaroNews.com day shift (standard)		2011		120.00		XX
Generic web-design work 2004 going rate (according to contractoruk.com) - per hour		2006		26.00	GR
Government website web content editor - with security clearance and Frontpage/WebEditPro - per hour (from contractoruk.com)	_HMG	2006		17.00
Government website web developer with Java, Perl, ASP, XML/HTML, CSS, SQL, Dreamweaver, Photoshop and Biztalk - per hour (from contractoruk.com)	_HMG	2006		34.00
Help the Aged per day		2005		120.00
Icons Project day researching and writing features for website		2006		100.00	GR	XXXX
Individual client writing/editing per hour		2014		32.00
iVillage.co.uk day subbing website		2006		150.00
Learning and Skills Council website per day FBS	_HMG	2004		250.00
Lexis Subbing per hour	_RE	2000		20.00
LGC Net reporting day	_EMAP	1998		115.00
Manufacturer research + scripting website, per hour		2004		75.00
Modis IT agency web design with C#.NET Pro plus XML/XSL, HTML, XHTML, CSS 2.0, J2EE, Java - W Yorks - per hour (from contractoruk.com)		2006		35.00
News International Online day	_NI	1996		120.00		XX
Non-profit websites web design, per day (7.5 hours)	_C4	2005		300.00	GR
One World Online subbing/design day		1998		150.00		X
Online retailer business analyst per hour (from contractoruk.com)		2006		425.00
PA Teletext subbing day	_PA	1995		89.56		X
PA teletext subbing day	_PA	1994		89.56		X
PA Teletext subbing day	_PA	1994		89.00		X
Photographer's website Editing words, per hour		2012		30.00
PMR Technologies IT agency web design with ASP, SQL Server, MS.net, XML VBScript, HTML, CSS and SQL Server 2000 - Middlesex - per day (from contractoruk.com)		2006		350.00
Recruit Media agency feature research and writing for major online sites, per day		2004		120.00		XX
Ski Resort - guides website editing day		2010		150.00
Specialist music website writing day		2014		180.00
T3.com day news writing, web editing	_Future	2010		120.00		X
Telecoms company designer/architect for mobile data services per day (from contractoruk.com)		2006		409.00
Teletext subbing day	_Assoc	1997		200.00
Teletext subbing day	_Assoc	1996		125.00
Thames Reach Bondway (homeless charity) Web content editor - per hour (from contractoruk.com)		2006		15.00
UK-based non-profit organisation online day		2013		175.00
unnamed research company website web, copywriting plus editing, research, per day		2013		500.00		O
Virgin OnLine Writing Web pages on writing Web pages, day	_Virgin	1997		225.00
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 rates:

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