diff --git a/app/models/rate.rb b/app/models/rate.rb
index 5fd7da5..4536a9f 100644
--- a/app/models/rate.rb
+++ b/app/models/rate.rb
@@ -2,4 +2,7 @@ class Rate < ActiveRecord::Base
   belongs_to :project
   belongs_to :user
   has_many :time_entries
+  
+  validates_presence_of :user_id
+  validates_presence_of :date_in_effect
 end
diff --git a/spec/models/rate_spec.rb b/spec/models/rate_spec.rb
index 279a1fd..653c9c1 100644
--- a/spec/models/rate_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/rate_spec.rb
@@ -1,5 +1,47 @@
 require File.dirname(__FILE__) + '/../spec_helper'
 
+module RateSpecHelper
+  def rate_valid_attributes
+    { 
+      :user => mock_model(User),
+      :project => mock_model(Project),
+      :date_in_effect => Date.new(Date.today.year, 1, 1),
+      :amount => 100.50
+    }
+  end
+end
+
+describe Rate do
+  include RateSpecHelper
+  
+  it 'should be valid with a user' do
+    rate = Rate.new(rate_valid_attributes)
+    rate.should be_valid
+  end
+
+  it 'should be valid with a project' do
+    rate = Rate.new(rate_valid_attributes)
+    rate.should be_valid
+  end
+  
+  it 'should be valid without a project' do
+    rate = Rate.new(rate_valid_attributes.except(:project))
+    rate.should be_valid
+  end
+
+  it 'should not be valid without a user' do
+    rate = Rate.new(rate_valid_attributes.except(:user))
+    rate.should_not be_valid
+    rate.should have(1).error_on(:user_id)
+  end
+  
+  it 'should not be valid without a date_in_effect' do
+    rate = Rate.new(rate_valid_attributes.except(:date_in_effect))
+    rate.should_not be_valid
+    rate.should have(1).error_on(:date_in_effect)
+  end
+end
+
 describe Rate, 'associations' do
   it 'should have many time entries' do
     Rate.should have_association(:time_entries, :has_many)
@@ -14,3 +56,4 @@ describe Rate, 'associations' do
   end
 
 end
+