What I cost and why

Three bands, one base rate

The base is the standard band: $45, €40 or 180 zł an hour. Simple work is 20% less, complex work is 20% more. I invoice in USD, EUR or PLN, whichever is easier for you; we agree on the currency with the scope. Polish prices follow the exchange rate, rounded up to the nearest 10 zł, and are revised by hand.

Net, per hour of work done. PLN rates last revised October 27, 2026.

What counts as simple, standard or complex

I propose the band when I write the scope. You see the reasoning before you say yes. If a task turns out harder than either of us thought, I tell you before the cap is reached and we decide together.

Billing rules

• Scope and rate in writing first. After a free 30-minute call or an email exchange you get the scope, the band and a cap in writing within 24 hours. Paid work starts only after your written yes.
• A spending cap per task. Every task has a ceiling. I never cross it without asking. You can set a monthly cap too and I will plan around it.
• You pay for hours worked. Hourly, with a log you can read. Finished early: you pay less. The cap is a ceiling, never a target.
• No minimum, no retainer. Start and stop at any time. Ad-hoc help without a monthly fee is fine. Agencies that want a monthly package of hours can have one.
• Weekends are the exception. I work Monday to Friday. Weekend work happens only when we agree on it beforehand, at twice the rate.
• At most eight hours a day. I do not sell more hours than I can deliver well. For clients I already work with I keep room for an urgent fix even when my calendar is full.
• Rates never change mid-scope. An agreed scope keeps its rate until it is done. New rates come with 30 days’ notice.

What is free

• The 30-minute call, with no company deck.
• Questions by email before we start, as many as you need.
• The written scope, the band proposal and the cap.
• The first hour of work if I reply late. That is my [pledge](#pledge).
• An honest “not a fit” with a pointer to someone who is.
• Admin: invoicing, the time log, tools I already know. I bill for work on your product, nothing else.

AI agents are included

I work with coding agents under rules, and that is included in the rate. They run on my business accounts at my cost, or on yours if you prefer. There is no separate line for tokens. The cost estimator shows how big the multiplier is and what it depends on.

If your policy requires code written by hand, say so. I follow it, and the estimate grows, sometimes up to ten times, because the hours do.

Fixed-scope packages

For these I give a range up front and a fixed number in writing within 24 hours after the call. The configurator shows the hours and the earliest start.

How invoicing works

I invoice from Poland as a VAT-registered business, in USD, EUR or PLN, whichever is easier for you, monthly or per task. We agree on the currency with the scope. Payment by bank transfer within 14 days.

• Company in Poland. Net amount plus 23% VAT.
• Business in the EU with a VAT number. Reverse charge: no VAT on my invoice, you account for it locally.
• Business outside the EU (UK, US, South Africa and the rest). No Polish VAT. The invoice carries a reverse-charge note; whether anything is due under your local rules is a question for your accountant, and usually the answer is no.
• What I need. The legal name, address and tax number of the entity that pays. Bank fees on your side are yours, on my side mine.

Why this is worth it

You get a senior who decides and delivers, with 15+ years of shipping software and nine in TypeScript, React and Node.js. Agents under rules, a human review on every pull request, code in your repository from day one, numbers in PostHog, and a handover someone outside the project can run from. The rules are on how I work.