Jake,
I agree totally, however the market won't bear those rates. 1099 income
is subject to deductions for home office, travel expenses, meal expenses
and the like and as such, has greater tax benefits than W2 income. In
actuality, in localities where there are few engineers, rates are
higher. NYC is packed to the gills with engineers seeking work. A post
on NYC Craig's List for a programmer nets 1,000 resumes in one DAY.
Between the high cost of living and the low rates due to high
concentration of available skilled workers, NYC's not a great place to
be a programmer, for sure.
Believe me when I tell you, if there was any way for me to get more than
$50/hr, I would have found it. I loathe the situation and am looking to
leave the field entirely in the near future. For now, I slog it out and
take what I can get.
Kristina
On 4/2/2011 10:07 AM, Jake McGraw wrote:
NYC programmers should be charging much greater than $50/hour. What's
$50/hour after the Federal, State and Local governments get their cut?
As a consultant/part-timer/freelancer you'll be getting paid via 1099,
which, at least in NYC, will be taxed at up to 45%. I haven't worked
in finance, but when I've done parttime consulting, $150/hr was my
going rate. In case anyone is unsure, demand for programmers in many
localities is very, very high. In a hiring environment like this,
there should be no reason to devalue your work to win a contract.
- jake
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