Not trying to evade your question, but my first thought was that "fair payment" can be indirectly deduced by what others are willing to pay and work for. (Alth

Not trying to evade your question, but my first thought was that "fair payment" can be indirectly deduced by what others are willing to pay and work for. (Although as an aside, it seems like as a senior software engineer with 9 years of professional experience, you might be able to leverage your current experience for an even higher salary at another company.) The other trick I've used at various points in my career is to change cities. (Not trying to be flip, but if you can't negotiate a higher salary, you could try negotiating a full-time remote position, and then find a location with lower rent.) The other thing to negotiate for: shorter hours. (A handful of companies offer less-than-40-hour workweeks, or generous vacation packages.) And the last option is just becoming a contractor, so you have some control over how many hours you work -- but/and also how many hours you'll be paid for.