Haven’t breached this topic yet, and I don’t know that I’m looking for a specific dollar figure per se. Tentatively agreed to consider doing periodic out of town work for a company that I already do sub work for. It would entail travel (not real far – 5 hour drive tops), overnight stays, etc. Say I bid the jobs just like I would anything else, when I get to the add on of travel, what’s reasonable to ask for compensation wise? For starters, I’m leaning to something like a per mile fee, they cover the hotel and the meals, what else? A percentage of the job cost? An additional per day fee for being away from home? Interested to hear your two cents.
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Your travel time billed at your normal hourly rate. Mileage. Meals, hotels at your cost plus 10%.
That's what's pretty normal in other field service work.
My hourly rate for travel, plus mileage, plus the needed per diem for motel and meals.
If I were working next door, I could charge for those hours to be gone. I makes no diff to me if the job happens to be five hours away. If you normally might spend an hour commuting, back off by that much.
I have guys come to the island to work and pay them for travel time one way plus ferry fees. That way, they make the same they would closer to home for the same time away from the house.
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.
The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."
--Marcus Aurelius
I agree w/ piffin. Charge per mile = $0.38. IRS most allowed.
That might be what they allow you to DEDUCT as a cost of doing business, but you can charge whatever the market will bear. It is insane to charge .38 if your cost to drive the vehicle is .45. I have one that I charge .50 for. If you can drive for only fourteen cents a mile in an older dependable one, it still mnakes no sense to charge less than about .33 because your cheap ride will wear out soon at high mile driving and then you'll have to beg your way into a new one. charge what it is worth and then when it wears out, you've got the bucks to replace it with..
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.
The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."
--Marcus Aurelius
OUCH!
Was that ouch personal or a reaction to the fifty cents per mile? I had to re-read to see what about. I guess I came across as though stepping on your toes with my correction. Sorry about that! Truly.
I wasn't thinking about you personally, just making ther information correct. Your comment was a good reference point..
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.
The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."
--Marcus Aurelius
After crying the entire weekend, I went out and purchased a pair of steel toed shoes. You ain't gonna step on these toes again!
It was so out of character for you. I laughed so hard. Thanx.
I wasn't even drinking.
AHa! maybe that was the trouble.LOL.
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.
The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."
--Marcus Aurelius
RW,
Attached is a 2001 list of Government Per Diem rates. Hope that this will give you some guidelines for just about every town in the US. The far right hand column "total" will give you a total for hotel and food rates.
I have traveled for the past 15 years (Germany now) and believe these rates are more than fair. Use the numbers then find a cheap place to stay and save a buck or two...
M&IE = Meals and incidentals e.g. laundry
Regards,
Lee
Edited for the following...
This does not include travel (Gas, wear and tear, insurance and such) but I believe that using the government’s guidelines you will have a document to point at if anyone questions the rates.
Edited 12/1/2002 6:56:24 AM ET by LeeSorenson
Thanks - that's useful. The thanks is to everyone thus far, this is helping me narrow my though processes down. I guess after this I'll just be narrow minded. HA! Geez, I gotta get better humor.
Here on Long Island we get alot of of people from out of state, both tradesmen and project managers. The most common rate I hear thrown around for being away from home is $75 per day, plus room, plus travel expenses for one round trip to home per week. Hope this gives you something to go on.