RE: Hourly Rate & Per Diem??

["Humbird, LenX" <lenx -dot- humbird -at- intel -dot- com>]

You could make assumptions like these, but it's not how all companies do
this. A per diem could be negotiated as completely unrelated to your
paycheck rate or wage. 

I posted about this two years ago (check the archives for "per diem"). With
one agency, They took the per diem out of my wages, to the tune of about
$10/hr. I got a weekly "tax-free" per diem check as well as a regular (puny)
paycheck. No receipts were involved. Some on the list thought it was absurd
to consider that per diem was subtracted from the wage/rate. Others
questioned the validity of the so-called non-taxable nature of that per diem
check. (The per diem amount was not included in my annual wage statement,
thus reducing my taxable income.) Still others considered the per diem
amount that I quoted to be unreasonably low. 

This link is a little out of date, but it shows GSA per diem rates for 1997.
Use it as a guide to what's reasonable and customary:
http://www.policyworks.gov/org/main/mt/homepage/mtt/perdiem/perd97.htm

My best suggestion is that you check with a business tax accountant to see
what's reasonable and customary, and what you can actually get away with
that's legal. 

Len


-----Original Message-----
From: Anthony Markatos [mailto:tonymar -at- hotmail -dot- com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2000 9:24 AM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: Hourly Rate & Per Diem??


Questions for all listserv contract workers:

*  When a salary survey says that an average TW contractor makes, lets say, 
$45 per hour; can I assume that per diem (if applicable) will be a portion 
of this money (and not a separate bucket of money)?

*  When a contract job posting (like on www.dice.com) says that the the 
position pays $45 - $50 per hour, can I assume that per diem (if applicable)

will be a portion of this money (and not a separate bucket of money)?

All responses appreciated.

Tony Markatos
(tonymar -at- hotmail -dot- com)