Ask HN: How do you make $100K+/year outside of the US? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: How do you make $100K+/year outside of the US?

23 pointsamrrs27 comments

Most US companies when they go to developing nations aren't ready to pay a decent amount. Are you someone who makes more than $100K per year, Please share your strategy. Would be very helpful!

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In Sweden it's pretty easy as an developer:

1. Start a business

2. Start contracting anything north of 80$ will give you a really solid income

3. Through your business give yourself a ~45k SEK a month salary

4. Pay yourself dividends from the business profit. You pay very low taxes on dividends

This is a model many many SW engineers in Sweden follow, also running your own business it super simple and for finding clients you can use bigger contracting firms(AFRY) which will take a % of your hourly salary.

does sweden charge social deductions or health insurance on those dividends? this is pretty much the case in austria and germany if you are managing director of 1 person llc as far as I was told...

There are two taxes that apply to dividends in Sweden. First the company has to pay a corporate tax of 20.7% on profits. After that tax the person receiving the dividend has to pay a capital gains tax of 20%[1]. So the effective tax rate is 36% [2] which is about half (?) of the tax on labor.

Also, companies do not have to pay VAT on services and goods, so it's very common to by work tools and such through the company. Then you're able to buy stuff for untaxed money and without paying VAT. You're not allowed to pay for private living expenses through the company, but I know people that do that, which effectively makes the tax rate 0%. Until you get audited that is. Buying a computer, headset and paying for your phone service through the company is just fine.

[1] note that there is a cap on how large dividends you only pay 20% on, over that cap the tax rate is higher [2] if I know how to do math

I don't think so, I think the tax is only 20% on the dividends

So that's 8333/mo.

If you can convince around 170 businesses, or business-minded folks to pay $49 each month for a service you provide, or info-product (but then you need to keep finding new customers), you're there.

Easier said than done, and requires building a reputation and all that, but that's what I'm working on, anyway.

Or if you can convince around 3 businesses that you're their go-to person for all tech needs, you're there.

You decide what's easier -- acquiring 170 customers or 3.

Sounds like you've done this? Any tips?

Sound competent. Be competent. Be reliable.

One way: Land a 100k remote job while living the US. Then convince them to allow you to move overseas while keeping your salary and dealing with the tax and legal hassles of employing a foreign worker.

Another way: Work in a country that routinely pays over 100k. Switzerland, Dubai, Hong Kong, Australia etc.

I suspect you live or would like to live in a country with a lower cost of living while making a higher salary. If you don't have US residency, what you're trying to do might be a challenge because you have the tremendous amount of competition of a global foreign work force.

I was going to say that I do so largely by working for valley-based (or at least valley-competitive) companies, but seeing the "another way" list, I guess I am in a country that also routinely pays well.

I'm in Asia, as a independent contractor and I work with and consult businesses in Europe. Currently that is pushing me towards €110k for the past 12 months. It's helping that I don't compete as outsourced "foreign talent", but rather am competing as a national living in a foreign country, while charging 30-50% less than other contractors & consultants back home.

I haven't even figured out how to make $100k+ in the US.

Get a government job. If you're an established professional (read: not straight out of college) you'd be starting as a GS-12 or GS-13 in most places. GS-14 if you're an expert in some field and they need your expertise (these aren't very common, though) or in some higher cost of living locations. GS-13 is increasingly becoming the "working level" (roughly: the baseline for individual contributors) for government programmers (career field is "1550", computer scientist, on paper). GS-13 pay starts at $98k if you're in "Rest of US" which is the lowest paid part of the US. That means that in the worst case of being in a Rest of US location and starting at GS-13 Step 1 you'd be making more than $100k after a year.

And that's working for one of the worst paying (for professionals) organizations in the US. Worst case, use this as a bargaining position with your present or future employers: I don't want to be paid worse than a government employee, with worse leave options (federal employees get 13/20/26 days of annual leave a year depending on length of service and 13 days of sick leave that never expires and 11 federal holidays), and worse health care.

Seems like there are many lower paying positions than that.

https://www.usajobs.gov/Search/Results?jt=Software%20Develop...

Search for 1550 series jobs or an engineering series (08xx) if you qualify by your degree. Those pay better usually than the many IT and technician jobs you found.

Your search is also finding roles that start at GS-7 or 9 and go up to 13 or 14. With experience, if they hire you, you would cone in as a 12 or 13.

https://www.usajobs.gov/Search/Results?g=12&g=13&g=14&g=15&j...

Still quite a few postings in that search that are under $100k.

You're overthinking this. Most of those (I did accidentally include GS-12 in my search, didn't mean to, so a couple jobs cap at GS-12) have a pay grade spread from something like GS-7 to GS-13 or even GS-15. You wouldn't be getting hired in at anything below GS-12 if you've got more than a year or two of professional experience and a degree. And if you've got a masters degree and 10+ years of experience, getting hired in at GS-13 is not too hard a sell anymore (it would've been a decade or so ago).

The same way you make $100K+ in the US.

The US is actually a low-wage country in comparison to several other countries. Every time I go there I see that working conditions for US wage-earners are not particularly great. It's just a matter of what's the 'norm for you/me', I guess. (Most people will get used to anything. The 'period of adjustment' is pretty constant at about 3 months.)

If you can't find a high-wage job, there is the usual range of ways. Real estate, landlording, professions. Speaking of professions, many US professional qualifications will not necessarily be recognised outside the US, just as many foreign professional qualifications are not necessarily recognised within the US.

I am from South Asia and I am web developer. Making even $50K/year would be a dream come true.

Via Toptal, easily, as a full stack web developer or react native developer.

What are the requirements to get into Toptal? Anyone from anywhere can apply?

A senior-ish CV would be needed to pass the initial screening I suppose, and I suppose it would depend on the exact skills and current demand. Yeah, pretty much anywhere (except the few countries covered by US sanctions) but they try to persuade you to adjust your rate based on where you are located.

In Australia ... so maybe not so interesting but US$100k/year is certainly doable. But US$150k/year seems a challenge outside of CTO / VPEng / HFT{C++,Multithreading} or some contract roles.

Working as a HFT developer making good money in Mumbai, India :)

in europe:

switzerland - 100K+ possible as full time employee, germany - possible as a contractor

if you are US citizen, whats stopping you from creating llc in the US and look for remote contracts.

In Canada is pretty easy for tech workers..

start a busisness

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