Think of how much you need to make, and how much you would get paid with a full-time position. If the work is consistent and you can bill 30 hours a week 50 wee

Think of how much you need to make, and how much you would get paid with a full-time position. If the work is consistent and you can bill 30 hours a week 50 weeks a year, you need to base your income on 1500 hours a year. You also need to consider that you won't get the benefits of being an actual employee, which means as soon as the contract ends, you may need to look for more work (i.e. you need to have money saved up) and you'll need to pay for health insurance and your entire FICA by yourself. Also, it depends on your location and how far you have to commute, if at all. Another factor is whether or not you'll have stock in the company. So, in this scenario, you could bill $50/hr and make a comfortable $75k/yr. If the conditions are less than ideal, the contract is shorter, or you live right in SF or NYC, you should certainly consider charging more. Either way, unless you have stock in the company, regardless of whether you want them to succeed, the only thing you're getting out of it is your paycheck, so make it worthwhile!