Tool

Architect fee calculator for private jobs

Set up the job and the client, see the fee item by item and copy the quote, or download it as a PDF. Built for private jobs in Italy worth €2,000 to €5,000.

Saved quotes

    The client

    It is not a judgment, it is time management. An Unpredictable client takes up many more hours than a Straightforward one.

    It does not change the price, only the greeting on the quote (Dear / To).

    The job

    Applies a regional multiplier (cost-of-living estimate from ISTAT, the Italian statistics office, and OMI, the property market observatory). Default rates are calibrated on Sardinia. Leave it empty for no adjustment.

    Floor area 85 m²
    Site visits planned 2
    2
    Design concepts requested 1
    1

    2 are included at no extra cost. The 3rd adds a little (+€100), from the 4th on each one costs more (+€200 each).

    Visual deliverables

    Still renders Photorealistic images
    Number of renders
    3
    Rooms to render
    2
    Video / animation Project fly-through
    Rooms in the video
    2
    Virtual 3D walkthrough Explorable in the browser
    Rooms in the walkthrough
    2
    Moodboard Visual direction

    Site supervision (optional)

    Include site supervision (direzione lavori) A separate item, added to the fee
    Supervision percentage 6%

    Standard range 4-7% of the construction cost, up to 8-10% for very small amounts.

    Beyond the design

    Materials selection Selection, data sheets, suppliers
    Lighting selection Lighting design
    Furniture selection Selection and buying advice
    Constraint check Historic center, landscape protection, etc.
    Permit filings SCIA (the Italian building works notice), cost estimates, etc.

    Urgency

    Final discount

    Discount applied (your call) 0%

    You apply it, knowing why. It shows as a separate line in the final quote.

    Travel (optional)
    Travel 0 km from your office

    Up to 30 km there is no surcharge. Beyond that: €1.50 per extra km.

    Signature and client (optional, for the PDF and the text)
    Quote text 
    
          
    
            
            
          
    
        
    
      
    

      
    
        
    What's included
    
        
      
      
      

    
      

    

  
      

  
      
    
      
      
      
        Subtotal €0.00
        Inarcassa 4% €0.00
      
      
      
      
        Total
        €0.00
      
      
      
      
        
        
        
      
      
    
      
  
      


      


      



      
  FAQ
  
      Fees and quotes for private jobs
      
  
      
    
      
      Is there still an official fee scale for architects in Italy?
      
      No. Fee scales for the regulated professions were abolished in 2012 by art. 9 of DL 1/2012, an Italian decree-law: the fee is free and you agree it with the client.
      Two references remain. A judge uses DM 140/2012, a ministerial decree, when no fee was agreed. The DM of 17 June 2016, the “decreto parametri”, sets the base fee for public tenders: for a private client it is only a guide, and on a small job it often gives figures far above the market.
      Source: DL 1/2012, art. 9 · DM 140/2012 · DM 17/06/2016
      
    
      
    
      
      Is a written quote mandatory?
      
      Yes. A professional listed in the albo, the official register of their Ordine, must give the client a quote in writing or in digital form (art. 9, paragraph 4, of DL 1/2012).
      It must state how complex the job is, the costs you can foresee from start to finish, the details of your professional liability insurance and the fee split into items, with expenses, charges and contributions. If there is no quote in a dispute, the judge holds it against the professional (DM 140/2012, art. 1).
      Source: DL 1/2012, art. 9 · DM 140/2012, art. 1
      
    
      
    
      
      Does the equo compenso law apply to a private client renovating a home?
      
      No. Legge 49/2023 on equo compenso, the fair-pay rule for professionals, only applies to banks and insurers, to companies with more than 50 employees or more than 10 million euros in revenue, and to public bodies.
      With a private client you still owe a written quote, and the fee must be in line with the importance of the work. Parliament is debating a reform of the professions that could widen equo compenso: for now it is not law.
      Source: Legge 49/2023, art. 2
      
    
      
    
      
      How much does an hour of an architect's work cost?
      
      There is no hourly rate set by law. The only official reference is the time-based rates (“a vacazione”) in the 2016 decreto parametri: 50 to 75 euros an hour for the professional in charge, 37 to 50 for an assistant listed in the albo, 30 to 37 for a technical assistant.
      They are 2016 amounts, never updated and meant for public tenders. On a private job they help you think, they are not a price.
      Source: DM 17/06/2016, art. 6
      
    
      
    
      
      How does this tool work out the fee?
      
      It starts from a base for the type of work and the floor area, then adds site visits, concepts, revisions beyond the two included, drawings and any site supervision. The client profile and the urgency weigh on the hours the job really takes. The region adjusts the rates, calibrated on Sardinia, with a cost-of-living estimate (ISTAT and OMI data).
      At the end it adds the 4% Inarcassa contribution, the levy for the pension fund of Italian architects and engineers, and writes the quote item by item, to copy or download as a PDF. The price is a starting point: you decide the figure.
      
    
      
  
      
  
      Updated October 28, 2026. This is general guidance: for your own case, what counts is the law, your pension fund and your Ordine, the Italian professional body.
      

      




      
  
      
    
      
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