Freelance Revisions: How Many Should You Include?

"How many revisions should I include?" has no answer that fits everyone. The right number depends on the type of work, how clear the brief is and what both sides expect. What matters most is defining what a revision is and agreeing on the limit in writing before you start.

1. Define "revision" first

• Revision: a change within the agreed scope, such as a colour, a wording fix or moving a section.
• New work: a change of scope or direction, such as a completely different logo concept, a new page or a new shoot.

Writing one or two examples of each into your agreement prevents most "is this a revision or new work?" arguments.

2. How to choose the number

• Clarity of the brief: a clear brief needs fewer rounds. If the brief is vague, a short discovery call or a draft stage often works better than adding more rounds.
• Type of work: for taste-driven work such as design and copywriting, the number of rounds matters more; for technical work, written acceptance criteria (when is it done?) are often more useful.
• Stages: splitting a big project into stages, each with its own feedback round, avoids one large change at the very end.

Pick a number that suits your work, state it on your profile and in your agreement, and apply it consistently.

3. Set rules for feedback too

Ask for feedback in one consolidated list, within an agreed number of days, and agree what happens if feedback is late. This protects both your schedule and the client's.

4. Saying no politely: ready phrases

• "This change is outside the scope we agreed. Happy to quote it as a separate piece of work."
• "We've completed the revision rounds we agreed on. If you'd like another round, I can tell you how long it would take."
• "That's a good new direction, but it changes the current draft completely. Shall we deliver the current work first and plan the new direction separately?"
• "Could you send all the changes in one list? That way I can make them together and faster."

Copy and adapt: revision clause

• Revisions included: … rounds within the agreed scope.
• Counts as a revision: … (give examples).
• Counts as new work: … (give examples).
• Feedback: one consolidated list, within … days.
• Extra rounds or out-of-scope requests: agreed separately, with time and price in writing.

İşinn takes no commission and does not handle payments; agreements are made directly between the two sides. This guide is not legal advice.