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Ask HN: How much should I charge for contract work?
I'm going into my senior year of college and one of the places I'm interviewing with for a full time position out in the bay area asked me if I would be willing to do contract work during the year, and also asked what I thought a fair price would be.
I'm making about ~$50/hr this summer, and a little bit of googling made it seem like contracting jobs usually go for $80-200/hr depending on experience and location. I'm thinking about asking for ~50/hr since that's what I'm getting right now, but is that overvaluing myself since I'm still a student, or is it undervaluing myself since it's a lot lower than what most people charge?
(Note that this place is a small startup - 15ish people).
- mattmillr 15y agoCharge more than you think you should. The fact that you're still a student doesn't have much to do with it. How skilled are you at the technologies they're asking you to use? Do you get things done? You might charge on the lower end if you're going to be getting regular work, higher if the jobs are sporadic.
- azylman 15y agoI think it's going to be regular work, but I'm pretty skilled at the technology they're asking me to use.
- rorrr 15y agoIt depends on whether it's W2 hourly or 1099 (or even corp2corp). If you usually make 50/hr + benefits on W2, you should charge at least 70/hr for 1099. It also depends if you can negotiate. If you can, start with a very high number and negotiate it down. One of the most important rules of salary negotiation: DON'T ASK, DON'T GET.