In short, it’s entirely up to you! However, if this is your first freelance job, we would not recommend this - unless you have very specific skills and experience that will clearly put you ahead of the competition.

When providing a counteroffer keep in mind that, psychologically, there is an impact on the company. This raises the bar and the company will have higher expectations, so be mindful of that. You should also be able to justify your counteroffer in your proposal or profile and be able to meet those expectations once you actually land the freelance job. If you provide a counteroffer and they invite you to an interview, it means they could match your counteroffer.

Be wary of what you are truly willing to do this work for, though, as the company might still be interested in your profile but not for that rate - which means they won’t invite you to an interview! Bottom line: make it clear to yourself what the minimum rate is that you would want to work for.

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