How to Reply to a Client Asking for Work ‘By Tomorrow’

The 5pm email asking for tomorrow-morning delivery is a test you didn’t sign up for. The reply sets whether urgency becomes your client’s habit or a priced exception.

Clarify the real deadline

Half of all ‘by tomorrow’ requests are ‘by Friday’ wearing a costume. One question — ‘is that a hard external deadline or a keen-to-see-it?’ — deflates most of them without conflict.

If it’s real: price the priority

Rush work displaces other clients and your evening; both have value. ‘I can do it — rush turnaround is +40%, or it’s Thursday at standard rate’ lets the client choose with full information. Most discover Thursday is fine; the ones who pay genuinely needed it.

If it’s a pattern: fix the system, not the symptom

A client who’s always urgent has a planning problem you’re subsidising. The kind, structural reply: ‘let’s set a weekly check-in so these land with lead time — you’ll get better work and fewer rush fees.’ Good clients take the offer; the rest were pricing themselves out anyway.

Example Reply You Can Adapt

Hi Nadia — I can make tomorrow work if it’s a hard deadline. Two honest options: rush turnaround tonight is +40% (£168 extra) because it bumps other committed work; or you have it Thursday 10am at the normal rate, with a proper proofread. If tomorrow’s for an external meeting, take option one and it’ll be ready by 8am. If it’s flexible — Thursday’s version will be better. Which one?

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a rush fee unprofessional?

The opposite — it’s the professional alternative to resentment or refusal. Airlines, printers and lawyers all price urgency; so can you. State it matter-of-factly and clients accept it the same way.

What if I just can’t do it in time?

Say so immediately with an alternative: ‘can’t do tomorrow properly — can do a rough version tomorrow and the finished one Thursday.’ A fast honest no with options beats a heroic missed deadline every time.

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