Highway robbery. Not enough of a living wage from which to take out taxes. (nm)
Posted By: Octo-MT on 2009-04-03
In Reply to: Talk about wanting the best of both worlds! - mtmtmtmtmt
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Not paid for the WHOLE report? Classless highway robbery by that company. nm
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Living Wage
I don't know exactly what I would call a living wage for a weekly amount. I can tell you that for my family of 5, the GOVERNMENT says that if I make less than approximately $40,000, that I qualify for various forms of government aid due to low-income status.
$40K divided by 52 weeks per year works out to about 1700 lines per day at 9 cpl.
If you're only making 5 cpl (case in point: That recent ad on the Jobs Bank!), then you would need to type 3076 lines per day in order to keep a family of five above the cut-off for food stamps and free lunches!
I think a living wage is
1 thousand dollars a week.
taking a low wage does not lower the pay for a field. The fact that they are offering stated wage
means that is the market. You don't see ads for McDonald's for $36/hour and you don't see ads for A.G. Edwards for $20,000/yr. If they didn't think they could fill a job for $14, they wouldn't post it. Notice MT jobs are now posting at 5, 6 and 6.5. So guess what editors are going to make?
They must deduct FEDERAL taxes.. NOT STATE taxes.. if they took out state taxes.. it would be FLORID
which would only have to be refunded to you for you to pay YOUR state what you owe them which is nothing but a pain... be glad they weren't handling your state tax.. and I think in this case.. if someone at the IRS told you they have to deduct YOUR states taxes.. it is that person who is uneducated... they only have to deduce federal income tax
Isn't that what we do for a living?
That's why keyboards were invented.
Min. wage
That isn't even minimum wage in San Francisco, where it's something like $9.25+ per hr.
Min wage in NY
In NY minimum wage is now $7.15, so that is not min wage here either.
Min wage
I thought I had read something recently that stated Nuance/Focus was developing some software that would completely do away with transcriptionists in the next few years. I worked for Focus 5 years ago and they were a terrible company then to work for, I see they have just kept getting worse. You are entitled to minimum wage if you are an employee. If your line count does not come to that contact your local DOL and apply for unemployment benefits. if you don't you are hurting yourselves and other MTs who come after you.
They will not hire MTs living in CA or CT.
nm
How can she pay living expenses on that? nm
X
making a living
Is there anyone out there supporting themselves and able to make living with a transcription company? i I have been wanting to make a switch but need a push. thanks so much 
making a living
I have been an independent contractor for over 20 years (MT for 30) and have 5 kids which I have raised alone with no support from their dad. I have bought my own house, have a decent car, pay all my bills and my kids have many excurricular activities (which runs into moocha dollars). Hope this answers your question.
making a living
I would definitely recommend Transtech for you, and if you are full-time, they offer you benefits, and can provide you with a computer if needed.
Decent living..
In short....the answer about Is it possible to make a decent living with them, without having to work 40 or 50 hours per week?.... NO 
This is where living in a certain state...
makes a HUGE difference in such things. I currently pay for the insurance for my husband and I (no kids but still need family plan) through DeVenture and it costs me a brutal $136 per WEEK, and the copays for office visits and drugs are still hefty. This is one of the main reasons so many people in this state (Maine) are uninsured...it's just too frickin' expensive 
MQ looking to earn a living
With ASR making money is getting tougher and tougher. Years of transcription experience counts for nothing here.
You either need a job to fit your cost of living or a cost of living to fit your job. sm
While I agree that you cannot live in California on $35,000 a year, no one is forcing you to live in California. Suze Orman says either find a way to lower your expenses or find a way to earn more money. It's common sense :)
There was a post a few weeks ago about not everyone being cut out to be an MT. I agree.
The original poster needs to stop whining and either get a job that pays more or get a new career. She can make $15,000 on minimum wage at a mall or Walmart.
BTW, it was insulting of her to say that MOST woman don't need to work. How dare she? In this day and age, most adults need to work. This is not 1958, this is 2008. I am not a bra burner, but my husband and I both make similar money, clean the house, cook, raise our 3 children. I am just lucky to have a job where I can work from home. I hated commuting anywhere, hate traffic, no patience.
But that doesn't mean that I work less. I treat my job like a job. I work in my home office but I work all day. I do not do laundry, chat with friends, cook. I go to work each day by getting ready as if I were leaving for an office, pour my coffee, make sure I have everything I need and start. I take bathroom breaks and a lunch break and take the full hour that I would somewhere else. I work 8 full hours as I do not include my lunch hour, so my day is 8 to 5. When I am done for the day, I turn everything off, leave the room and close the door, as if I were in an outside office.
My husband has a salary of $71,000 and I make near the same as him each year. I do not work overtime except very rarely, an occasional Saturday here and there, just like if I were on salary in another profession.
I am not perfect, but I love my job and do it well. I also know that MT'ing is not for everyone, although it seems as if a lot of MT's who are not very good at their jobs have a sense of entitlement.
Try living in Delaware where the just
1,100 workers worked their last day on Friday. What do they tell their kids. You are worrying about a measly Christmas bonus and jealous of CEOs? What about these auto workers?
Have some dignity and stop with the 2-year-old me, me, me. Be lucky you have an income and are not being told sorry this is your last day a week before the holiday season.
No one is ever just happy they wake up in the morning these days. It's always want, want, want... 
Not sure what us living in the same state has to do with anything. sm
Everyone's experience with a company is different. I think it just all depends on what your specific needs are. It's disheartening when I hear that other people have had a bad experience with a company that I think highly of.
It's because they are living in a falsehood.
If the person just does a one liner to sound like they are bragging, they are just trying to ruffle feathers. Don't believe everything you read on this board. Its anon and it is open to the public.
I believe that would come to a little over minimum wage...
Not good at all! 
Minimum wage at best, probably not that!
I would not take any QA/editing position unless it is a set hourly rate. Again, I have said it before, do not sell your fellow QA/editors down the drain like AAMT has sold us. Hourly is the only way!
don't accept the wage, but I would!!!!
nm
Medware Wage
The most you can expect to make at Medware is 0.08 a line. Medware has some extremely difficult accounts with a lot of ESL doctors. It is very hard to make a good line count. Additionally, Medware watches how many minutes you work during the day. You must work a full 8-hour shift. If you have problems and need to call your supervisor, need to email your supervisor, create samples or go over files from the editors, have a problem with pay or vacation time or anything similiar, you will do it on your time. You have to put in your 8 hours TYPING, nothing else counts.
Is this a fair wage?
I'm a new graduate and I got an offer for 0.75 cpl. Any input would be appreciated.
QA Wage question
If getting paid hourly for QA, let's say $10.00 an hour, do you get paid for every hour whether there's anything to QA or not?
if you are still working there for that particular wage...sm
you are settling. 12 hour days x 6 days per week? You are definitely selling yourself short if you accept this. I was only trying to be honest based on the information you chose to share. I don't want others to think this is the norm in this industry because it most certainly is not. Again, I am basing my comments solely on the information you provided, which in fact saddened me as an MT who has been in this profession for many years. I apologize if you see this as an insult, but I was just overwhelmed by your breakdown of pay. To me this is completely unacceptable. Good luck to you.
They have to pay minimum wage s/m
They have to pay for minimum wage if you do not reach that on your line counts.
GOOD WAGE
If you find anyone that pays 10 cpl to start, let me know!!!
I took me 4 months to find a job as an IC where I would make 10 cpl after 90 days!! and that is maintaining minimum line count of 1000 lines the whole time...
Minimum Wage
You have hit on a point that the service owners did not plan for. Pursue this with the DOL office in your state:
USMLSU Initiative
Washington, DC
ONLINE, REAL-TIME CONFERENCE CALLS/MEETINGS BEING SCHEDULED FOR THE FIRST WEEK OF 2009 !
Respect, reasonable compensation, and humane treatment for all U.S.A. Medical Transcriptionists
a wage one can live on is no more
I don't know about you, but when I see 7 and 8 cents being offered for independent contractor work, I scream a little scream inside me and then implode for a few seconds, and then I move on as that is too insulting for words. How can a person take out their own taxes with such low pay? It's really not worth it, when you do the math, figuring out 25 to 33 percent is delegated to tax.
If a person does 6000 lines for a 40-hour week and takes out 28% taxes, this leaves them with $8.65 an hour for their effort. My 18-year-old son, whose part-time job while he is in school is sweeping the floors at movie theatres in between shows, makes $7.00 an hour. I am a grown woman with 18+ years of MT experience and would make only $1.65 an hour more than my son if I had this job.
How's that for a come-down? 
VR or not, need to pay MINIMUM WAGE--sm
Not just my 2 cents' worth -- that's the LAW in all 50 US states. At 3-4 cents a line, this is hardly possible, especially at the start, to make at least a minimum wage that any 16-year-old kid makes delivering groceries. Add to that all the UNPAID work we are required to do for the privilege of being fleeced by the MTSOs, CCs, researching doctors, endless demographic work having nothing to do with transcription... 
Minimum wage
You cannot by law make less than minimum wage. If you are making less than minimum wage I would tell the company, they have to make up the difference. If they don't then you should call the labor board.
somebody will do it; hence the wage stays low nm
What is their hourly wage?
I also did not know that they had editing. QA position?
I guess I'm living proof
that past behavior is a good predictor of future behavior. Did you ever have your days in the beginning when you could have been one of their cheerleaders? I know I did. Yet, I still saw those unhappy posts and, rather than automatically think they were lying, instead I wondered how they got so unhappy. I think I found the answer.
Variables in cost of living
Some states sound good, but then check out the taxes - real estate tax, personal property tax, sales tax, cost of heating/cooling, transportation, license plates, insurance, etc. A lot of it balances out in the end. Some states have outrageous license plate fees, (I paid over $600 for my car last year). I also get a personal property tax bill each year for everything including my dishes and silverware. State income tax is out of sight. Cost of heating in winter is unbelievable. I have to have 2 sets of tires for the car, 1 for winter, 1 for summer. I have to have 3 complete wardrobes for the weather changes.
How do they make a living if they don't get paid for their
services. I don't know that they get a percentage of the line rate, doesn't make sense that it would be like that, but I'm sure they get a flat fee. The MT doesn't pay, the company does. I didn't ask them about getting paid because that was none of my business. Maybe they don't get paid unless the MT accepts a position. A lot of companies offer referral bonuses, could be the same thing with TM.
We have to make a freakin' living
..
living "in the sticks"
I too live where there is no DSL or cable option. I use wild blue satellite. It is fairly affordable, though more expensive than DSL, but it works great - I started out downloading with dial up, and the difference is wonderful. You can Google search wild blue to check out the service closest to you.
does anyone know the cost of living in Bangalore? I need a job... lol nm
x
Cost of Living Increases
I work for a large MTSO and after four years have not received a cost of living increase. Is this standard operating procedure? Things cost more than they did four years ago. Do you think CEO is getting the same pay as four years ago? Any thoughts?
barely making a living
Used to make a decent living but lately (past 2 years) have not. Major pay cuts in all 3 jobs (per diem to hourly and page count to line count) and big expense of benefits for single mom and 2 kids.
I sort of lost all my incentive and feel very used. Thought my salary would increase over the years (or at least stay the same), not decrease. Keep trying to get motivated but can't seem to get there.
I am currently employed by a national, benefits are $550 a month and I have no control over how my lines are being calculated, plus it is on a 74 character line, not even 65 so my lines in my pay are way lower that what the company is calculating already.
Recently tested and interviewed with another national but they pay per page (which was way less than my page rate 10 years ago) and beneftis were more than $600 a month.
Any suggestions and ways to get motivated again would be appreciated.
Yes, you are living in a dream world, but you might get 11 cpl
nm
Terrible....can't make a living on that.
`
See the TransRAD ad for 7 cpl? No one can earn a living on that! If you see this
How many foster children are living with you?
The two comments made after my initial post left me so frustrated that I debated on responding. In the real world, most consider me to be kind hearted and easy going. For that reason, I usually avoid controversial issues for the sake of arguing.
This particular subject matter just hits very close to home and I have zero tolerance when misinformed people offer unwarranted advice. I feel it's very inconsiderate. The OP just asked about companies with insurance plans that covered IVF. She didn't come here asking for opinions or the blessing of MT Stars. What she is going through is difficult enough without complete strangers (probably sitting home with their 2-3 kids)telling her that wanting to start a family with her husband is completely unnecessary. I'm still amazed at how cold people can actually be.
Now to respond to your post.
First of all, if you did any research at all on the foster care and adoption systems in this country, you would not only be saddened, but you would not have posted. I'm not trying to be mean at all, but you are truly so misinformed that I don't know where to start.
My husband and I actually looked into foster parenting and even took the classes. We have a couple of friends as well as my in-laws who are foster parents. First of all, becoming a foster parent IS NOT a permanent situation. The small percentage of adoption that does result from being a foster parent can take up to 5 or 6 years! Plus, a very high number of foster children have special needs, severe behavioral problems, or mental issues caused from abuse. I do have one daughter who was 4 at the time we were taking classes. After spending years being protective parents, researching, and taking classes,we were afraid of exposing our small child to the abuse (physical, mental, sexual, drugs), that put these unfortunate children in foster care to begin with.
Yes you are right about so many beautiful children that need homes. There are literaly 1,000s of childless couples in this country that would love nothing more than to get serious about caring for them. Have you tried to adopt in this country? Good luck if you decide to take your own advice. You are looking at a long waiting list, tons of red tape and buracracy, not to mention a few grand. Oh and there is that chance after you have brought that sweet child home and bonded with him/her, that the crack-head bio-mom will decide she wants to play house and ger her an attorney (that you are paying for with your tax dollars.) After the court hearings are finally over (1-2 years later) you can kiss that little one good-bye. I've seen it happen to people very close to me...not on Lifetime. It does happens.
Seriously, why do you think so many Americans pay obscene amounts of money for international adoptions? Think about it.
Out of curiosity, do you have children?
and when you can't make a living anymore--sm
due to schloping American jobs to third world countries..it will be too late for ANY solution.
Can you make a living at home?
I have been an on-site MT for 15 years and have clinic-only experience in several specialties. I am considering a change to working from home. I am wondering if it is possible to work from home and still make good money. Do you folks feel that you do just as well as you would working on-site?
Has anyone made a substantial living off of an MLM?
I am talking about those companies where you sell and recruit...mainly recruit. My cousin has been a real PITA. She just signed up on one and has been on me to have a party or grab this golden opportunity and make lots of money. I really hate her speeches because she tells me like I have never heard it before but it is the same verse I have heard by many different at-home sales opportunities. They all say that you can make tons of money working part-time from home. They show people with fancy cars and fancy homes with swimming pools all thanks to this particular MLM. I have seen so many people join up with these things but never have seen anyone succeed. Has anyone else? Anyone else would have gotten a door in their face or a click and a dial tone if this was done by call but I cannot seem to do this to family. I have bought toys from her but I cannot buy every time. Boy does she make a person feel like a but-looser for it too as in No I don't want to spend anymore time with my kids.. No I don't want to buy educational toys for my kids. No I don't want to make 10k working part-time from my home. UGG
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