Understanding Professional Organizer Fees

Understanding professional organizer fees, just like understanding the fees of any professional service, can be a little confusing. By taking a little time to understand what may be included on the bill of a professional organizer, you can be better prepared. Better prepared not only for the bill, but also for what can be expected of that particular professional organizer. Here are some examples of items that you can expect to see on a bill from a professional organizer.

• Consultation Fee. Many times a professional organizer may include a consultation fee. While you may get an initial consultation for free, when you decide to hire a professional organizer, they will begin to charge you for their time. When you see this on your bill, it is usually indicative of the first day that they were working for you. It could also mean that they had to consult with another professional organizer, and they passed the charge onto you.
• Supplies. When a professional organizer comes to work for you, most anything that they use from their own resources (garbage bags, files, closet organizers, etc.) they will charge you for. This only makes sense since they have to purchase their own materials. This is simply a cost of doing business.
• Time. Just as with any professional service, you will be paying for the time of a professional organizer. There are usually three ways that this can appear on your bill. These are by the hour, in four-hour increments, or even in eight-hour increments. Make sure that you understand how the professional organizer bills their time, before you decide to hire one.
• Overhead. While you may not see a specific item for overhead on your bill, you can expect this to be a "hidden" cost. Usually this is included to help cover things like rent for their office, payroll for any assistants, utilities, and so on. Normally, this is only figured as a percentage and added into the total bill.
• Travel. If you are expecting your professional organizer to do any traveling, then expect to have that show up on the bill. While usually not very expensive, it only makes sense that they will expect you to cover any expenses incurred during traveling. Common items may include things like mileage, gas, and wear and tear on a vehicle. Again, it should not be excessive if they are staying within the same state or city, but don't be surprised if it is on the bill.