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Does anyone have any suggestions on rate suggestions for side IT work that I would like to start? I have a full time IT gig but want to bring in some extra $$$ when not working however not sure how to scale hourly rate. Thought about taking my weekly salary, divide it by 40 then go by that rate but was wondering if there would be any better suggestions.

2 Spice ups
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Find out what the Geek Squad and other consultants are charging in your area. Then think about your target clients, home, home office, small business 1-10 computers, etc

Then think how much you want the work and adjust the price. Word of warning if you are good at what you do, the word will get out and you will be referred which is a good and also a bad thing.

Also make sure all of your customers know you have a day job and cannot respond 24/7

Good luck

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I think it really depends upon the types of services that you are looking to provide to people. I have done a little bit of business on the side in the past and to come up with pricing, I just looked at what different companies such as Best Buy and Staples charged for their services and undercut that by a little bit. If you are charging more than your competition, without being able to prove your body of work, people may not be willing to pay. A little bit of research will help you figure out what you should be charging.

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I’d be sure your employer is on board with this. I know when I was working for a local MSP I had a stipulation in my contract that forbid me from doing any competing work on the side. Sure I’d help friends, but in those cases no money was exchanged and they were always small jobs that didn’t compete with the actual business. Certainly nothing that would truly supplement my income.

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Yeah, this is step one. You don’t want to burn your main source of income just to earn some pocket change. I have had employers who were cool with this, others who across the board said no. Either way, it was about a 5 minute conversation about my intentions (supplement income, keep busy) and I usually had my answer.

Some wont let you do it because of competition, others wont let you because they don’t want to be used as a “training” center for your other job.

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As a hobby you could do that. For real business accounts, you’ll need insurance and stuff that will dwarf your hourly rate.

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Alot of it depends on what city/location you are in as prices vary from city to city. If you want to use your formula of weekly salary/40 hrs, then take that number and times it by 3. That typically accounts for bundled overhead and should still be less than big box store rates.

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A lot of it would depend on your area. Look at a few small IT businesses in the area and use them as an example or template. Treat it almost like a start up company.