Ask HN: contract work | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: contract work

im considering some contract work... i have a special skillset, and the company that is offering the contract will pay ~68/hr.

The median in my area is roughly $45/hr.

It's an interesting position in that I'd be speaking directly with customers, while also doing integration of systems, as opposed to just being an in-house coder.

Is there a reason that I should be wary of doing contract work? Is there a reason why this contract is willing to pay so much more than a regular fulltime position?

Ultimately, I'd like to start a company, and this could be a good way to build capital, and control the amount of hours that I'm working as well, so that my work time doesn't bleed into the time I want to have for startup projects/ideas.

What's your experience with contract work?

View on HN

Contracting pays more since the employment term is fixed and job security is 'less guaranteed' than a salaried position. Also, finding a new gig every few months, learning systems from scratch, and being embedded into a brand new environment frequently is not for everyone.

One advantage of contracting is that you can get a nice long break when you're done (i.e. being between contracts). Depending on your ability to budget financials for this time that you're out of work, ability to find new contracts, and motivation level when unsupervised, you can use this time to focus on a company. In a likely scenario, you can make the same net amount in 9 months as you would in a year for equivalent work after taxes, all depending on your negotiation skills and gap between salaried and contract pay, leaving 3 months to focus on your company.

Get a good accountant, it's well worth the cost in tax savings. As others said, watch for the big tax bill at the end of the year, or you can work with your accountant to pay taxes in monthly periods. A staffing agency is sometimes easier to deal with for taxes since they handle service taxes, if applicable.

Get good at doing interviews, since you'll be looking for new work once or twice a year. Recruiters are often a necessary evil so be good to them. Contractors also naturally have better networks since they move around so often and make new friends.

They'll pay more for contract work because you'll end up picking up the taxes and paying for your own benefits out of that. I assume they'll take you on as a 1099 contractor, which means you will have to pay all your own taxes at the end of the year. Make sure to budget for that, it's easy to forget you'll have to cough up 15% or so in taxes the next year.

oh ok. so the overhead is 15% taxes wise. interesting. good data point.

Assume 20% just to be safe.

Taxes are a big thing to keep in mind and I can't tell how important it is to speak with a good accountant and lawyer. They will be able to help in how you set your company up, even if you are just one person you'll want to look at all your options like LLC, S-corp, etc. Having the right structure will be able to help save you on the taxes, and make sure you are protected.

thanks frommers.

as it turns out, i just found this as part of a position from a staffing agency. does that simplify things a bit?

also, another question i have is..

is contract work a good avenue towards my own entrepreneurial path?

im working a startup company now, and i kind of feel that i'm not getting the kind of hands on customer experience that is required to really build a startup that focuses on problem solving for customers.

Yes it is. It will teach you things like managing your own taxes, cash flow etc.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com