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NUJ Rate for the Job:
recent rates for Words, per 1000 / mags
Updated: 2026-06-29
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.
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Work paid by the thousand words, whose primary use is in a magazine. (Generic rates for publishing groups appear at the end.) If you are interested, the archived rates are here. | ||||||
Tell us what you've been paid for Words, per 1000 / mags |
Freelance Fees Guide
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| Publication / Programme - details & terms | Group | Year |  |
Total paid | GR |
XXXX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advertising Age* (2015) | 2023 |  |
1000.00 | |||
| African Business interview with businessperson, 1800 words @ £360 = | 2025 |  |
200.00 | |||
| Apollo feature, 1800 words @ £500 = | 2025 | |
278.00 | |||
| Art News artist profile (via Freelancer Solidarity Project) 1200 words @ $400 | 2023 | |
333.00 | |||
| Broccoli (US music mag) features for an annual magazine, offered in launch announcement, very competitive pitching, US-based, music-oriented, women-led | 2024 | |
500.00 | |||
| Business Insider offered on Twitter for food, fashion, homes | 2024 | |
333.00 | |||
| Business Insider lifestyle-focused personal essays - starting at $220 for 500 words, says editor on Twitter | 2024 | |
440.00 | |||
| Business Insider offered by editor Louise Ridley in a call for pitches | 2024 | |
1000.00 | |||
| Business of Fashion 800 words, a feature on beauty business, 800 words @ $800 = | 2025 | |
1000.00 | GR | O | |
| Chronicle of Philanthropy* (2015) | 2023 | |
1000.00 | |||
| Climate Home News report on manufacturing of clean energy technologies (especially wind turbines and solar PV) in South East Asia | 2024 | |
1000.00 | |||
| Columbia Magazine book review (via Freelancer Solidarity Project) 750 words @ $850 = | 2023 | |
1333.00 | |||
| Companion (is this the Gail's Bakery mag?) (reported to journoresources.org.uk) reported pieces | 2025 | |
1300.00 | O | ||
| Complex offered on Twitter for stuff about memes, internet personalities, and streamers , - up to | 2024 | |
300.00 | |||
| Container magazine Twitter call for pitches critically exploring technology and its creative uses | 2024 | |
300.00 | |||
| Cosmopolitan UK as reported to thefreelancewritingnetwork.com up to | 2026 | |
2000.00 | |||
| Crafts 1200 word feature with multiple perspectives @ £400 = | 2024 | |
333.33 | |||
| Cyclist 700-word magazine feature with three interviews - fee includes magazine and online use | 2025 | |
300.00 | GR | ||
| Declassified UK 1000 words (2020) | 2024 | |
400.00 | |||
| DJ magazine | 2025 | |
200.00 | |||
| ENDS report news analysis or features | _HM | 2024 | |
350.00 | GR | |
| Foreign Policy* feature, unspecified length (2018) | 2023 | |
5500.00 | |||
| Fortune* 800-word reported story @ $400 = | 2023 | |
500.00 | |||
| Guardian magazine | _GMG | 2025 | |
400.00 | ||
| In These Times up to | 2024 | |
1000.00 | |||
| Literary Hub reported feature (via Freelancer Solidarity Project) 1500 words @ $300 | 2023 | |
200.00 | |||
| London Review of Books 800-word online feature @ £200 = | 2024 | |
200.00 | |||
| Marie Claire as reported to thefreelancewritingnetwork.com up to | 2026 | |
2000.00 | |||
| Maxim as reported to thefreelancewritingnetwork.com up to | 2026 | |
2000.00 | |||
| MIT Technology Review call for pitches at thefreelancewritingnetwork.com up to | 2026 | |
2000.00 | |||
| MIT Technology Review (reported to journoresources.org.uk) up to | 2025 | |
2000.00 | O | ||
| Mix Interiors 800-word feature @ £320 = | 2024 | |
400.00 | |||
| New Scientist minimum rate for UK authors, stated in Twitter call for news pitches | _Assoc | 2025 | |
510.00 | ||
| New Statesman reported feature | 2026 | |
250.00 | |||
| New Statesman 1150 words @ £250 = | 2026 | |
217.00 | |||
| New Statesman international reporting | 2024 | |
1000.00 | |||
| Noema as reported to thefreelancewritingnetwork.com up to | 2026 | |
1000.00 | |||
| NUJ Branch 450 words @ £175 | _TU | 2024 | |
389.00 | O | |
| Padel magazine | 2025 | |
300.00 | |||
| Parents as reported to thefreelancewritingnetwork.com up to | 2026 | |
2000.00 | |||
| Physics World news and analysis - publication has exclusive web and print rights for one year | 2024 | |
380.00 | GR | ||
| Physics World feature, research included one 4-hour interview and two written interviews - publication has exclusive web and print rights for one year | 2024 | |
430.00 | |||
| Poetry Wales (reported to journoresources.org.uk) 1500 word reviews @ £350 = | 2025 | |
233.00 | |||
| Positive News offered in Twitter call for pitches | 2024 | |
300.00 | |||
| Prism (reported to journoresources.org.uk) | 2025 | |
500.00 | |||
| Private Eye HP Sauce section page lead, had to deliver on spec with no guarantee of publication or payment | 2025 | |
528.00 | O | ||
| Private Eye 280 words @ £60 = | 2024 | |
214.00 | GR | ||
| Private Eye Article on the Ushaw College arson | 2023 | |
360.00 | |||
| Prospect feature | 2024 | |
500.00 | |||
| Prospect magazine short 670-word article for the magazine (and online) at £200 = | 2025 | |
300.00 | GR | ||
| Rail feature, 2000 words @ £500 | _Bauer | 2025 | |
250.00 | GR | |
| Resident Advisor 300 words music news @ £100 = | 2026 | |
333.00 | |||
| Rooted in Rights (reported to journoresources.org.uk) 599-word blog @ $400 = | 2025 | |
800.00 | |||
| runher (reported to journoresources.org.uk) up to | 2025 | |
2000.00 | |||
| Stylist online piece | _DCT | 2024 | |
180.00 | ||
| Teen Vogue | _CondN | 2025 | |
350.00 | ||
| The Architects Journal feature - FBS, no extra web use, no expenses, not taxed at source | _Ziff | 2023 | |
400.00 | GR | |
| The Atlantic New York offered to Virgina Woolf in 1938 £120 for 12,000 words - in 2024 money = | 2024 | |
564.00 | |||
| The Journalist feature | _TU | 2025 | |
350.00 | ||
| The Londoner long-form investigation | 2026 | |
125.00 | |||
| The Musicians (union magazine now annual) | _TU | 2024 | |
555.00 | O | |
| The New Republic call for pitches at thefreelancewritingnetwork.com up to | 2026 | |
3000.00 | |||
| Time Out offered on Twitter, up to | 2024 | |
250.00 | |||
| Trails Magazine call for pitches at thefreelancewritingnetwork.com up to | 2026 | |
2000.00 | |||
| Trails Magazine as reported to thefreelancewritingnetwork.com from $500 up to | 2026 | |
2000.00 | |||
| Trails magazine (reported to journoresources.org.uk) up to | 2025 | |
2000.00 | |||
| Transport Intelligence qualitative research and report writing | 2026 | |
400.00 | |||
| Tribune online article (also hosted by Jacobin), 2000 words @ £75 = | 2023 | |
37.50 | |||
| Variety up to | 2024 | |
750.00 | |||
| Vogue Business feature on beauty business, 800 words @ £400 = | _CondN | 2025 | |
500.00 | ||
| Voyagers Voice Twitter call for pitches on sustainable travel to Sri Lanka | 2024 | |
250.00 | |||
| Wired Technology and Science* features (2015) | _CondN | 2023 | |
2000.00 | ||
| Ernest Hemingway book reviews in 1936, as the National Writers Union / Freelance Solidarity Project points out | 2024 | |
22595.00 | |||
| Latitude Media climate reporting - offered on Twitter, up to | 2024 | |
900.00 | |||
| Mill Media bottom end - example, theatre review or protest report | 2024 | |
175.00 | |||
| Mill Media mid-range - example, involving a visit and several phoners | 2024 | |
200.00 | |||
| Mill Media top range - example 5000 words involving court reporting and dozens of interviews @ £2500 = | 2024 | |
500.00 | |||
| NBC News reported feature (via Freelancer Solidarity Project) 1700 words @ $550 | 2023 | |
324.00 | |||
| The Journalist 750 words @ £265 = | _TU | 2024 | |
353.00 | ||
| Twitter call for pitches lifestyle features | 2024 | |
380.00 | |||
| Twitter call for pitches culture features | 2024 | |
500.00 | |||
| Twitter call for pitches foreign exchange reporting | 2024 | |
350.00 | |||
| Twitter call for pitches faith and justice features | 2024 | |
550.00 | |||
| Twitter call for pitches | 2024 | |
550.00 | |||
| Unnamed magazines @write_jobs on Twitter calls for pitches on exploration, hidden worlds - up to - treat with caution! | 2023 | |
2000.00 | |||
| Unnamed magazines @write_jobs on Twitter calls for pitches of spooky stories - treat with caution! | 2023 | |
1000.00 | |||
| Key to the rates, by column: |
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| 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 |
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4 Currency: either or  or (US) | |
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| 5 Amount paid (total of basic licence and extra licences for web use, database resale...) | Amount |
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| 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 |
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| or Just sometimes we're pleasantly surprised: | | 1500.00 | O |
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Other recent rates:
| Type of work: | In the "sector": (click or tap below!) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Words, per 1000 | News | Local | Mag | online | Book | PR | Other |
| Words, other | News | Local | Mag | online | Book | PR | Other |
| Photography | News | Local | Mag | online | Book | PR | Other |
| Broadcasting | News | Local | Other including podcasting | ||||
| Shifts | News | Local | Mag | online | Book | PR | Other |
| Other: | Cartoons | Crosswords | Illustration | Punditry | Retainer | Teaching | Tip-off | Translation | ||||||
| Recently reported rates | all from the past few months |
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