this is correct. direct contractors without agencies typically pull 1.5x-2x annualized base salary in hourly rate form. this is because contractors are estimate

this is correct. direct contractors without agencies typically pull 1.5x-2x annualized base salary in hourly rate form. this is because contractors are estimated to spend 40% of their working hours in a non-billable state (like waiting on contract negotiation delays, for example). additional overheads like accountancy professional services, insurance brokers, insurance and equipment as well as the time spent dealing with them are significant. if a contractor converts to fte, or a long term contract (12+ months) then these figures adjust down. but for short term contracts, the per hour rates can appear quite high (although actual gross totals tend to not be much in the scheme of things). this is why the mean rate from the last hn contractor salary poll was $100-$150/hr.