Kit Fees

If you have a ton of hardware or software that you own or have a membership/subscription that you pay for, it is critical that your rate reflects a percentage of that. That said, I believe that the right thing to do is to have a kit fee. 

You should have a high kit fee and indicate a significant discount in your kit fee invoice. This is one of those client psychology things that’s annoying, but if the initial price is $100 / week for your kit fee, they might freak out. However, if your kit fee is $300 / week, but you’re discounting your fee for this client to $100 / week, they are more likely to accept it. I wish we could all just say the numbers are the numbers and not have to play this game, but alas, that isn’t the reality. 

Some Vanilla Kit rental costs that are more or less standard:

• A $6000 computer rents at $200 / week.
• A high-end DSLR camera package rents at $170 / week
• Expensive DSLR lenses rent at $50 / week
• A high-end camera monitor rents at $100 / week
• A $1000 Gimbal package rents at $50 / week

A good rule is to charge for the big stuff and then “gratis” out the smaller things or things that you feel are a nice bonus to throw in for free. You always line item everything to show the sheer amount of items that are critical to the kit, and that you’re hooking it up for your client(s). 

I have a kit fee on about 50% of my jobs. It’s something you should always address at the beginning of a job. I frequently forget to do this and kick myself for it later. 

If you’re unable to get a kit fee, be sure to keep track of gear that is consumed on the job and bill it back as a receipt at the end of the gig. This is generally acceptable, but ask first. Clients are usually receptive to: “you need this thing today, I already have it in my bag, but I will need it replaced or paid for.” This is a good way to get rid of gear you don’t want anymore, too.