Modeling rates: day rates, hourly rates and buyouts explained

Most talk about modeling rates stops at one number: the day rate. The same day of shooting can cost a client €300 or €6,000 depending on where and for how long the pictures will run. This guide is for two kinds of reader: models who want to understand what they are paid for, and brands, photographers and producers working out how much to pay a model for a photoshoot.

It is based on how Supermodels negotiates bookings for clients in Lithuania and abroad, plus published rate guides and press reporting. For what is left after commission, costs and tax, see how much do models make.

What a model's fee is made of

Part	What it pays for	How it is charged
Time	The model on set	Per hour, half day (4–5 h) or full day (6–8 h)
Overtime	Hours beyond the booking	At the hourly rate or a higher overtime rate
Usage	The right to show the images or film	By territory, media and duration
Fitting	Trying on and adjusting garments before the shoot or show	Hourly
Travel	Jobs in another city or country	Travel costs plus a travel-day fee or separate agreement
Agency fee	Casting, negotiation, contract, responsibility	A percentage paid by the client on top of the model's fee

Time pays for the day. Usage pays for the model's face becoming part of a brand, which may stop competitors booking them while the campaign runs.

Model day rates by market

Job	London, per day	New York
Editorial	£100–300	About $150 a day; sometimes unpaid
E-commerce	£150–400 (often 60–120 outfits a day)	$1,250–5,000 a day for catalogue, e-commerce and campaigns
Commercial and advertising	£400–1,500	$2,500–20,000 per job
Beauty and luxury	£500–3,000+	Negotiated
Fit and showroom	Hourly	$95–200 an hour
Top-tier model	£5,000+ a day	Negotiated

London figures come from a London agency's 2026 guide; New York figures from press reporting and agency owners quoted by Backstage and Fashionista. They are ranges, not tariffs.

France sets legal minimums. Models there are employees, and the collective agreement fixes minimum gross rates: €551.50 to €1,078 a day for advertising-type work depending on category, €80 an hour (€400 a day) for technical fittings, and from €196.50 a day for editorial. The model must also receive at least 33% of what the client pays the agency for editorial work and 36% for everything else. Lingerie carries a 50% supplement, nude work 200%.

Lithuania: one Lithuanian agency publishes guide rates of €40–65 an hour for newer models and €65–90 or more for experienced ones, €175–260 for a half day and €260–430 or more for a full day. Usage for advertising is negotiated separately; the market has no standard rate card.

Editorial pays least everywhere because the reward is the pictures and the credit. E-commerce and catalogue clients pay the bills: they shoot weekly and rebook the same models. How a model builds a book from editorial and tests is covered in the modeling portfolio guide.

Modeling rates per hour

Hourly rates apply to short shoots, fittings and showroom work. Published examples: Lithuania €40–90 an hour; New York fit and showroom work $95–200 an hour according to agency owners, while job boards list New York apparel fit roles at $50–200 an hour; the French minimum for fittings is €80 an hour. For anything longer than about four hours, agencies quote a half or full day instead. More on the fit model's job in what a fit model does.

Usage rights and buyouts

Usage is the fee for where and how long the client shows the model's image. An unlimited licence is a buyout. Three things set the price:

Factor	Cheaper	More expensive
Territory	One country	Europe, worldwide
Media	Client website, social media	Packaging, in-store, outdoor, TV
Duration	3 or 6 months	12 or 24 months, unlimited
Exclusivity	Model free to work for competitors	Model barred from competitors

A London agency's examples give the scale: a £600 day rate plus two years of worldwide, all-media usage comes to about £6,000; a national beauty campaign at £2,500 a day carried £15,000 in usage. As a rule of thumb, usage runs at two to ten times the day rate.

Two practical points for models: never accept "the pictures may be used everywhere" or "unlimited" at a plain day rate, and if images are still running after the licence ends, your agency should claim an extension fee.

AI digital replicas are the newest usage question. Some clients want to build a digital copy of a model to "shoot" later without them. New York's Fashion Workers Act requires separate written consent stating the scope, purpose, pay and duration. Where no such law exists, put it in the contract; our modeling contract guide covers what else to check.

Overtime, options and cancellations

• Overtime. Extra hours are paid. In New York, since June 2025, clients must pay time and a half after 8 hours in a 24-hour period and give a 30-minute meal break.
• Options. A client can place a provisional hold on a date. While it is unconfirmed, the model takes another job only after checking with the agency.
• Cancellations. A confirmed job cancelled at the last minute should carry compensation set in the booking terms; the agency negotiates it.
• Travel. The client usually pays travel, and a long travel day is compensated separately.

The New York law also requires a deal memo before each job stating total pay, payment terms and usage, and the final client agreement within 7 days after the job.

What is unpaid: tests, TFP and trade

• Test shoots build the portfolio. They are not paid, and agencies that organise them often deduct the cost later. See model test shoots.
• TFP (time for print) means model and photographer both work for the pictures. Fine for portfolios, not when a brand then uses the images.
• Trade. Some designers pay in clothes, especially at fashion week. If the images then sell a product, it has become commercial work and should be paid.

The test: if the pictures help someone sell something, it is a paid job.

How much to pay a model for a photoshoot

If you are a brand, shop or photographer, the budget has five lines:

1. Model time, by the hour or day (see the tables above).
2. Usage, set by where you will show the images. Website and social media in one country is cheap; outdoor, TV or several countries costs more.
3. Agency fee, usually about 20% of the model's fee, covering casting, the contract, coordination, a replacement if the model falls ill, and clean rights.
4. Fitting time, if garments need adjusting first.
5. Travel, if the shoot is away from the model's city.

Booking a model directly through social media can look cheaper, but you then write your own usage agreement, check the model's age and find a replacement yourself. With minors, parents sign, and child labour rules apply: in Lithuania, for example, 14–16-year-olds need written consent from a parent and the school and a health check. Supermodels books models for Lithuanian and international clients through its office in Vilnius.

Negotiating a fee as a model

1. Always ask about usage: where, how long, which countries.
2. Get everything in writing before the job: fee, hours, overtime, payment terms.
3. Take a low fee only on purpose, when the pictures or the client are worth it.
4. Let the agency negotiate. It knows market rates and keeps money talk away from you and the client.
5. Log every job: date, client, hours, agreed fee. Check it later against your statement, explained in how do models get paid.

How rates work abroad, the difference between working on stay and on direct booking, and how guarantee contracts are calculated are covered in module two of the Supermodels Masterclass, "Fashion markets", led by Supermodels head Jurgita Kiguolė. The course is in Lithuanian.

Supermodels Masterclass (in Lithuanian): markets, contracts and fees

Frequently asked questions

What is a typical model day rate?

In London, a booking agency quotes £150–400 for e-commerce, £400–1,500 for commercial work and £500–3,000 or more for beauty. Editorial pays £100–300 or nothing. In Lithuania, guide rates are €260–430 or more for a full day.

How much should I pay a model for a photoshoot?

Budget for the model's time, usage based on where you will show the images, an agency fee of about 20% if you book through an agency, plus any fitting and travel. Website-only use in one country is the cheapest case.

What is a model buyout?

A fee for unlimited or very broad use of the images. Usage is priced by territory, media and duration, and in advertising often costs two to ten times the day rate.

How much do models make per shoot?

It depends on the job. Editorial often pays £100–300 or nothing; e-commerce £150–400 a day; advertising £400–1,500 a day plus usage, which can bring the total to several thousand.

Do models get paid for test shoots?

No. A test shoot builds the portfolio. Agencies sometimes pay for it and deduct the cost from the model's later earnings.

Are models paid overtime?

Yes, extra hours are paid. In New York the law requires time and a half after 8 hours in 24 and a 30-minute meal break.

Can a model negotiate their rate?

Yes, but it works best through the agency, which knows market rates and usage pricing and keeps the negotiation separate from the job itself.