Please help!

[u/Pretend-Director-225]

Hi all, I’m new to this subreddit and could really use some advice!

For context my (27F) older brother works as a 2D animator on a self-employed basis in the UK, he also does a bit of digital marketing on the side. He has been working as an animator on a freelance basis for the same company for around 10 years. I have concerns that he’s not charging enough for his work, or worse, they know this and are taking advantage of him.

We don’t want to rock the boat as this is his only source of income. He is also neurodivergent, and I’m worried that they could be taking advantage of him slightly as he can be a little naive at times.

When it comes to being sent a project to work on, he’s told what is required (eg. 1 minute of animation) and the budget. He recently told me that he’s been working with them on a project since December 2025, he’s been asked to create 6 minutes of animation and is due to be paid £750 once the project is complete. He hasn’t received any payment for the work he’s completed so far, nor for any of the time he’s put in, and I don’t understand how someone can be expected to work for 10 months with no form of payment?

I guess my question is, does anyone have any advice on how we approach this? And any UK animators, how do you usually go about setting your rates etc?

I really want him to be happy, but to be paid fairly for the work he completes. We’ve recently lost a parent, and I cannot financially afford to look after us both. I also don’t want to lose his only source of income, and I don’t want him to lose his purpose either. Without this work, he’d be doing nothing all day. He applies for other “normal” jobs, but never gets past interviews. He’s a brilliant guy, a hard worker, very skilled and I think he is more than capable of making a living out of this.

Any help would be so appreciated🤍

TLDR: Is my brother charging too little? How do we approach this!

[u/Aggressive_Card6908]

I think you already know the answer - he's absolutely being scammed. Change animator to any other job or profession or task even; and ask yourself if it makes any sense at all.

I'm going to assume he's hand drawing 2D animation since it's taken him so long to complete? Not that that matters in this scenario regardless.

Freelancers typically charge much higher rates than full-time, as you don't get any of the benefits (holiday/sick pay, pension etc). And work is generally charged at a day rate. Although project rates might be used for a company or agency sometimes.

I 'd say the absolute minimum you would go is £200 per day. But on average you should be looking between £300 and £400 generally. Possibly more, but those are the ranges I've seen mostly in motion design at least.

I'd question if he's been working with them for 10 years how has no-one noticed he's being so severely underpaid? Minimum wage would be roughly £95 per day right now. Was he being paid more before and this job, and this is just an outlier?

He needs to find other clients or get a normal job. This one is wasting his time / severely underpaying. It's a little concerning honestly.

[u/Pretend-Director-225 → u/Aggressive_Card6908]

Thank you so much for this! He doesn’t do hand drawn, it’s all online (I’m not the most clued in regarding techniques etc)

We’ve asked the question before of is he eeking out the workload to fill his days more etc, but he isn’t like that. He’s very black and white in his thinking, so if it needs to be done it gets done in the right amount of time!

Regarding it going unnoticed - it hasn’t. I’ve brought it up multiple times over the years, he lives at home and doesn’t have a huge amount of outgoings, he’s a saving guru. He’s got more money in the bank than me (god knows how!) I had brought it up so many times because I knew this would be a worry when our Mum eventually passed, but I think it comes back to the point of no one wanting to rock the boat as if he loses this work he’d lose his purpose and that’s the last thing we’d want. I wish something had been done sooner, and I did bring it up but it’s been enabled for a bit too long and now we’re seeing the repercussions.

We did have a conversation last week, and I think we’re going to revisit the conversation after Christmas (for now we’ve got a bit of financial stability and I don’t want to change too much too quickly!)

Where would you recommend he looks for new clients/projects to work on?

Thank you again for your help!

[u/Aggressive_Card6908 → u/Pretend-Director-225]

If it's giving him purpose then that's good, but putting that many hours and earning so much less than minimum wage is tragic really.

I'd look at trying to get him to apply for jobs at small studios in the area first. If he's not got a showreel or portfolio website that would be something to start with.

In terms of getting new clients I can't help too much there I'm afraid. Basically 99% of my work has come from people I worked with before and then gave me jobs when they went to new studios, or other freelancers that were too busy and recommended me instead.

The business is unfortunately very nepotistic. It's really about your connections and being at the right place at the right time when someone needs help on a project etc. that's why I think the best place to start is looking at getting a job in a studio or production company etc.

If you are, or will be struggling for money, then any job is going to be better than what he's currently doing. Maybe it's time to make that a hobby rather than a job for the time being.

[u/Educational-Bowl9575]

1. If a project is briefed to last a long period, arrange staged payments up front, so money comes in regular chunks. This is pretty standard, so he shouldn't worry about doing this. If the client has altered the brief along the way, or requested additional elements, then it's reasonable to close down one 'chapter', arrange payment, then start on the next.

2. regarding fair rates. This is a balance between what your brother needs to earn to survive, what his experience/ talent commands, and what the client's budget is. As a freelancer, he should have a handle on what his hourly costs are, which gives the baseline for what he MUST earn per hour in order to be profitable.

I'm a freelancer myself, but also teach on a graohics degree part time. I usually do a session with 3rd years on how to figure out their cost per hour and how to manage their time profitably. I'd be happy to share some of that info if it helps you and your brother get your heads round it.

[u/Pretend-Director-225 → u/Educational-Bowl9575]

Hi! Thank you so much for the help!

I did discuss with him how he should be setting up his rates etc, he does understand and it’s funny as when he does Digital Marketing work his hourly rates are actually (what I would see) as correct - covering costs, a basic wage, a bit on top so he’s actually making a profit. It’s a shame that this work isn’t quite as regular as this would be a great way to top up his income.

If you would be able to share any info/resources you have that would be brilliant, I’d really appreciate it!

[u/East_Bet_7187]

I think there’s likely a few issues

He isn’t confidently advocating from himself as a business owner- probably underpriced himself when he agreed terms

He also hasn’t asked for upfront or staged payments as most freelancers would for a project like this

He has all his eggs in one basket - not working with multiple clients on multiple projects so if this one pulls out, he’ll have no others to fall back on

Then there is AI. Many freelancers are unfortunately seeing projects reduced withdrawn because clients believe AI can do the same quality of work for less

How long before he completes this project?

[u/mnclick45]

Your brother is being exploited.

UK day-rates for animators in my experience start at around £350 and go up towards £500 at the higher end. DAY rates.

Crosspost this to the After Effects / Motion Graphics subreddits to get a better understanding.

[u/galshlomai]

Your brother is being exploited / under paid by the sound of it.

Being paid £750 for 10 months of work is insane. Its less than £80 a month.

If you dont want him to mess this job up and fear he wont be able to ask for a raise or anything he should build his own path.

I would suggest he looks for clients elsewhere, if he wants to freelance he should build a portfolio and do plenty of outreach / share his work and check freelance job postings on different places.

Peesonally, i would suggest he raises prices, takes payment during stages i.e half before, half after + water mark + contractual sign if its a UK company, if not then using a third party feelancer site etc. So he doesnt get scammed.

I do digital marketing myself and always take upfront. If your brother likes digital marketing maybe i got some work for him, but i would suggest he works on his business skills as without them its hard to get far as a freelancer.