Is anyone doing anything else at home to supplement MT income?
Posted By: MQMT on 2005-07-11
In Reply to:
I need some ideas. Besides running out of work, I am on burn out. Please give me some ideas to make some cash at home w/o going back out into the workplace. I thought about e-bay but I don't have an ongoing product to sell.
Thanks!
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I took on PT job with another company to supplement income
and then the national I work for gave me a secondary acct just the other day which I have yet to learn. Now, I will be soooo busy that I am afraid my work will be compromised.
Not to mention that I do not really know if the secondary acct will give me the work load I need to fill up an 8 hour day. I have set up two computers...swirling around in my chair when one job is out of work and typing on the other job.
What shall I do? The big money (and benefits) are with the national. I am already beginning to get tingling in my hands after only two weeks with the new PT job (electronic medical records, 12 cpl, IC status, about 2-3 hrs a day - which is time consuming in that one is required to go into and out of many fields and the actual typing is a one to two liner except for consultations).
Should I quit PT job and not take the chance of hurting my QA score? Or is there a good chance my secondary acct will be out of work for the majority of the day?
I really dread putting all my eggs in one basket (with just the national) with the many uncertainties in this business.
Does anybody sell on e-Bay to supplement MT income?
How hard is it. Are you successful. I've been thinking about it and wondered about other MT successes. Thanks
supplement income by cleaning houses.
Get a few rather neat, clean people who want their homes cleaned (vacuumed, dusted, change linens, etc.,) once a week or every other week. Where I live it is very lucrative, pays about $20/hour.
If single, check out ads to be a "live-in" housekeeper. I do this for a business man who is gone most of the time. I clean the house once a week, cook lunch and/or dinner if he is home, and in turn he gives me run of the house, my own rooms (2 bedrooms, 1 bath for me), pays all utilities including my cable bill, and pays for all food. I am not required to help with any entertaining he may do - he calls a caterer to do that. I can have all the company visit that wants - he enjoys my friends, too - but cannot have late night parties or overnight male company. Not a bad exchange
It's nice that you can supplement the family income, but
I am the only one MAKING an income. If I had the luxury of just supplementing somebody else's income, I might be happy making the few pennies these services throw at me. However, I have to pay full price for groceries, car repairs, gas, etc., etc., as any man who is making a great salary but I get only pennies to subsist on? These services all seem to think that we are all "mommies" who are just wanting to make some spare money. I have news for them-- there are a lot of us who have to survive on what we make and even though I can pinch a penny until it screams, I am still falling farther behind every year. I make a whole lot less now than I did 20 years ago-- this is PROGRESS??? For the rich CEOs maybe, but certainly not for me.
Question on Income Taxes and Home Office
I need some input, please, on our tax situation. I moved to a new state and am having a new tax guy this year. I always declare my home office and a percentage of my utilities - have done so for 10+ years. This new tax guy said that my home office deductions won't matter, as they aren't higher than the standard deduction we are allowed as a married couple, and he can't believe I have never just filed a fast simple tax form without itemizing. My old tax guy never said a word - he would just get all my home office figures for me each year and said he "entered them" on my taxes. He also charged me around $350 to "itemize" each year, just for these home office figures. They are always about $3000 a year total. So now it seems I've been throwing my $$ out the window with my old tax guy? I always thought our home office deductions were able to be written off, so to speak, separate from that individual standard deduction. So, either my new tax guy doesn't know what he's talking about, or my old guy didn't. I have a feeling the new guy is right, though, the way he explained it. Does our home office deduction have to be more than the regular old standard deduction? Or does our home office cost count separately on taxes? Thanks for any help, as I don't want to hire a THIRD tax guy to check the other two. Thank goodness I never did Turbo Tax - I'd be even more lost.
Quick question or poll - What does one consider "good money" for weekly bring home income? sm
Would you consider $1000 a week, IC status, working 5 hours a day, 5 days a week "great money"?
What do you make a week and how many hours do you work?
This is for informational purposes only and not to belittle or degrade anyone or boast and put anyone on a soapbox about their income.
Thanks for your help!
Not sure, I have deductions for federal income tax, SS tax, Medicare tax, and state income tax. ???
nm
Supplement for smokers
I think it's a great idea to charge the polluters extra.
same here, lookin for another job to supplement.
Calcium supplement
How about Plaquenil? I work a rheumatology account, and they frequently use this for supplement. See info. below.
PLAQUENIL (hydroxychloroquine sulfate) tablets contain 200 mg hydroxychloroquine sulfate, equivalent to 155 mg base, and are for oral administration.
Inactive Ingredients: Dibasic Calcium Phosphate, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Magnesium Stearate, Polyethylene glycol 400, Polysorbate 80, Starch, Titanium Dioxide.
Has anyone used the Eden Pure Heater as a supplement?
I hear Paul Harvey advertise this heater on the radio all the time and I am considering it for our house for this winter. I just wonder how much it might really save us since we use propane to heat and this is an electric heater. It sounds good according to what I have heard and read but obviously I don't really know.
I am in my home office most of the day and thought I could turn our furnace down low as there is no need to heat the entire house when I spend at least 8 hours a day in my office and I am the only one at home during the day. I could just close my office door and use this heater and maybe save some $. We have a 1600 sq. ft. home, one level, and we spent about $1900 for propane last year (including hot water heater and gas cooking stove). I wore thermals and warm clothes as well as used a snug snack while working but I am always cold and had the thermostat turned up to 72 during the day and 66 at night.
I will post the link for those that might be interested in knowing more bout the heater.
In all due respect, I have more pressing matters to worry about them my dietary supplement freedoms.
I gathered from scanning that long article that they are looking for some regulatory commission on ingredients, along with cautionary labels, etc. I am ALL FOR THAT, as I am one of the many humans who is very allergic/sensitive/intolerant to herbal remedies, vitamins, and "dietary supplements" - wrong stuff and I could die. So I'm not concerned - sounds safer for me.
My kids have suffered greatly from me working at home with them home. SM
I have been working at home as an MT since my two kids were born. They are now 4 and 5. In the first few years, I had no help whatsoever. Their father was a bum who didnt work or take care of them while I worked. Your children get neglected while you work basically. And babies and young children desperately need your attention while they are home with you.
My kids have so many behavioral problems right now because of their neglect. I would try to set them up with things to occupy themselves, like coloring or a movie, etc.
I finally put them in day care and things have improved, but there are still a lot of issues because of the damage that was done. They still try to seek attention by doing bad things and they dont listen to me because they are so used to me letting them get away with a lot of stuff because I was too busy typing to discipline them in their early years.
If I could do it all over again, I would definitely have put them into day care from the very beginning.
My advice would be to seek PT care for your baby. Maybe you can do some work around her schedule a little when she is home, like when she takes a nap, and then bang out a bunch of work while she is in day care.
I enjoy being alone at home, but I've got one home sick from school already.
One on one with a kid is nice, too.
This summer has been absolutely crazy. I haven't had a moment to myself for three months because all of my kids were home traipsing their friends through the house and yard. My husband switched his work schedule, too, so he's around more than usual. However, I like not having to do two loads of dishes and four loads of laundry a day. There are no toys or clutter dragged out everywhere. I can clean the house first thing in the morning, and it stays clean until everyone gets home at night.
I even got to relax with a cup of coffee and watch TV for half an hour this morning, something I liked for a change instead of cartoons or kids' movies. I signed up for an online class that I've been wanting to take. I can exercise without being interrupted. Yesterday, I went to the mall and spent all my saved up gift cards. I got some clothes, books, bath stuff, and a new coffee mug. My work gets done a lot faster, too. Call me nuts, but I've never had the luxury of being alone in the house for 14 years. It's kinda nice. I love my family with all my heart, but I love having a few hours to myself each week, too.
Except now the cat and dogs have been acting weird since the kids went back to school. They must think that I need someone or something to clean up after and correct behavior on. They're getting into everything and racing around the house behind me.
my take is that she worked inhouse, not at home, and now wants to find out how to work at home. nm
x
Forget "per line." Your take-home pay should be taking home SM
roughly what it was before. If it is not, is it because your current pay rate for editing (which in many companies keeps changing as the VR system is developed) is too low or is it because your talents and skills are more for speed typing than speed editing?
If the first, discuss it with higherups, and go get a new job if you don't get the response you need. My last MTSO was secretly refiguring how production was counted to pay us less. I can accept hard reality, it was the secrecy that burned. Sometimes, though, it's just that the learning curves of individual editors and that of the system aren't in sync, and you end up temporarily making less.
If the second, though, recognize it as soon as possible and change to straight transcription work, in your company or a new one, for as long as you can find it.
As for why we aren't paid more for a higher skill, that's just the way the labor supply ball bounces. Best wishes.
MT income
I am at #6, but have been an MT for 30+ years.
But for those who need FT income...sm
I can see how that could be a problem for some. It is my intention to get a PT job, and if I don't get enough work, find another to fill it out; then, who ever pays best for the best work and least hassle WINS. However, my DH is the primary wage earner around here. My income helps, but we don't require it to live.
income
I live in New York, have been doing MT for 15 years and during all of that time I have needed to work 50 to 70 hours a week. I started on working mostly from tapes. When the dictations started coming through the computer and I started using word expanders, income went way up. But so has my rent - used to be $750, now $1100. And my son eats a lot more at 14 than he used to! A few years ago I started working for 2 services for extra money... but now I couldn't get by without 2 jobs. The first job used to pay well, but with a combination of a new platform and VR, plus being transferred to a different account at a lesser line rate, I make thousands less from them than I used to. I am changing companies. Would love a 40 hour work week but don't think it's possible.
40,000 not low income
maybe with 10 children.. I know of one circumstance (in my state, and some others) where a person can make a decent amount of money (sky's not the limit, but 50,000 range is OK) and still get Medicaid. It's a program for working people with disabilities, whose medical expenses are extremely high and would not be covered by regular insurance - including services of home health aide and transportation to medical appointments, equipment, etc etc). I am on this program (which I was not told about by Medicaid workers, had to do my own research). So I am in the curious position of receiving government assistance (Medicaid only, not food stamps or disability payments) and working/paying taxes at the same time.
Likely the OP is not in this category.
Income Tax after Death
I have a friend whose mother passed away in March of this year. She was an IC and thus earned income right up until the time of her death. Is her daughter now responsible for filing an income tax return and/or paying taxes on this income? I know an accountant for her would be handy in this situation, but I thought I might get some opinions here as well. Thanks!!
Disagree - it is NET income
You pay your social security on your NET income not your gross, after all your deductions and look around you will find them. Also you are only paying 7.5% MORE than if you were an employee. Again, as an employee you have the convenience of someone controlling and withholding your income tax while as an IC you do it. I have more usable income as an IC than as an employee because of my deductions. If your husband is working have him take one less deduction or have them hold out a specific amount that will offset what you make, they will do that and that way you don't have to worry about paying quarterly taxes. The IRS doesn't care who pays as long as if you are filing jointly the tax has been paid.
He can't cut his income intentionally.. sm
It's written into the divorce decree (if you have a halfway decent attorney) that income cannot be reduced.. and even if it is.. the child support and other payments remain the same as ordered. Been there...and done that..
Monthy Income
I would like to know what short cuts "nm" is using in order to make $60K a year. Maybe that will help us all make more money. Thanks.
Yearly income
I have three 1099's here in front of me -- one for 24K, one for 13K, and one for 5K. My W2 one is for 14 almost 15K. I did work without 1099 in the amount of 3K. The reason that my average goes down on the IRS forms is that after all my business deductions -- which includes my health insurance and 401K and Self employed retirement fund, mileage, supplies, etc. it goes down to less than 20K. Believe me or not, but it is possible and I still have time to go on the boards. I do not work 60 to 70 hours per week.
I have my own accounts and my income
was around $38,000. That is around $3,100 a month. I work M-F and usually work 8-hour days, though there are times I need to put in an extra hour or two on the weekend or in the evening when the work is really coming in. If you work for someone else, that person is charging at least 3-4 cents per line over what they are paying you in order to turn a profit, so if you are making 7 cpl, you can bet they're charging at least 11 cpl, if not more. At 11 cpl, if you can achieve 1400 lines a day, that would be around $3000 a month. That would be 175 lines an hour and that is not an extraordinary amount for an experienced MT with Expanders and other production tools in place. I would venture a guess that most saying they make that much have their own accounts and those making less than that a month work for someone else.
Low income housing?
My sister is getting divorced and wants to move into this place that bills itself as "low income". They told her they would take 30% of her income. BTW, she is also an MT. She says she makes about $1350 a month, but has a van payment and various bills. I am asking on here because the place won't answer any of her questions right now. She needs to be moved by the 15th of March. I am wondering if anyone knows how they can take over $400 of her income and still call themselves "low income" that doesn't seem fair. I knew a lady that lived their with one child and paid less than $10 a month. I mean what about her other bills? She has 4 little children (twins 4, and 6- and an 8-year-old). I hate to see her move in there and overpay. My mom and I don't know what to tell her. She's been through quite an ordeal already. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks! Aunt Maria
annual income
Watch out, you will be accused of being childish from the same person who refers to "some" fellow MTs as unfortunately not having a brain. Hmmm, pot calling the kettle black? That was so rude and so not called for.....is that necessary!
20K is my taxable income
Boy you guys do not know how to read financial statements or know the first thing about running your own business. That is my taxable income. I start out about 55K and end up paying taxes on only 20K if that. I support myself in a very unique lifestyle living on a floating home. I contribute 15K to a my own retirement fund. I have NO debt. And I probably spend no more on gas than if I were working at a hospital but I get to deduct the mileage which is a good deduction. The only outlay that I have that I would not have if I were working for someone else is supplies -- sticky paper and toner. I have looked at employee versus IC or business owner and I am so much more ahead financially doing it this way. A lot more usable income. And I only work 30 hours per week even with deliveries and pick-ups. So before you speak, learn how to realize what is net, gross and taxable income.
loss of income
I think this is happening to many of us in this profession. I am making two thirds of what I made 13 years ago and there is no way to get clients in my area as one hospital went out of business, two merged and gave the docs laptops and the largest only uses one service and has a 10 year contract but I have heard they are giving all new doctors laptops too. The hospitals in my area own most of the clinics, family meds and speciality offices too. Time for me to think about something else.
income taxes
Hi - Now working as an IC. Can anyone tell me what form or format you use when filing your taxes to list deductions from work-related items. Would appreciate any help on this. Thanks
Income potentials...
There are so many variables to that, but since no one has posted yet...
I think the average for a newbie (which you will be starting out until 2 years) is around 5-7 cents per line. The average after your "2 years of experience" goes up to about 8-10 cpl. There are so many variables, and every company is different. Of course, if you were to be running your own business, that is another story altogether, which maybe someone else will respond to (as I have no idea on that). Most companies require between 1000 to 1200 lines per day (full time) to 5000 to 6000 (part time). That is my understanding as a general rule. I'm not an expert, but that might give you some idea anyway. There is a website/magazine called Advance for HIM. They have a salary survey on their website for MTs you might find helpful.
Hope this helps!
Rae
Just report your income
Keep copies of your invoices, and just report your income from her. Some do not provide 1099's. It is your responsibility to keep track of your income and report that.
Still if she has $11-22K a month of income - sm
you don't think that is enough to pay all her bills with some left over for herself? What is her equipment made out of? Gold or some other precious metal. Most call in systems run $5-10K, even if she has 5 of them I would think she could have them paid off in a year, 2 tops; granted I do not know how long she has been in business but with 44 clients/accounts I would guess it has been a little while. If she is working out of her home then she has her "home office" deduction, if she rents an office I would suggest finding something cheaper obviously. It is just hard to comprehend that she has $11-22K a month in expenses; how many QA people does she have? What is she paying them, hourly or by the line? Are they cheating her if paid hourly? She definitely needs to do some restructuring/reorganization in order to keep afloat. She doesn't give any details so it is a little hard to give her a sensible answer, we can only guess and she will have to see what fits and what advice she finds useful. If her 44 clients barely produce 2000 lines a month, then that is $8800 a month for herself to pay bills, QA, attorney, etc. That is a much slimmer number but that is still a high cost to doing business, $105K a year, just does not seem right. But again we do not know details and can only guess.
Variable Income
You are so right. Maybe we need to stick together and ask for hourly wage that is fair to us and to the hospital/clinic/private office, benefits that mean something, and all work our shifts. If some of us don't keep up then we will get fired! However, the rest of us will all benefit immensely and be fairly treated. It seems in the world of transcriptiion that we, the transcriptionists, always get ripped off. Consider that my husband has a "regular job" and has had yearly cost of living increases, bonuses, etc. forever. By my estimation, my pay translated into hourly has gone down considerably. Twenty years ago the hourly offered for our services has never changed one iota and now that we are home not only did it go down (unless we skip lunch and work over) but we have lost all our benefits unless we work for cheap line counts for big nationals. I am tired of them taking all of my money, are you? It is just like the health insurance racket. They have all kinds of "middle men" who get their piece of the action from the people who really do the work. My husband's share we pay for our benefits has gone up, his company's share has gone up and the offerings have gone down. Why? There is no real need for middle men. All they do is drive the cost of things and the real workers get it in the neck or other body parts I won't mention because I am a lady. Face it, doctor's don't even know we exist any more. There is no personal factor. I don't need constant affirmation, but it was nice when the doctors I transcribed for vaguely or not so vaguely knew who I was and respected me and my integrity and realized I made some contribution to their practice by my careful attention to detail. They also remembered that I too worked there when everyone else got a raise. I guess I am done now, but this gripes me so much and we all continue to sit here and type and nothing changes. Somehow others have insinuated themselves into our transcription business and are pocketing all the profits and calling all the shots. Some days I feel like a rat in a wheel.
#2 is a good income but
//
taxed on net income
You take off all your deductions and pay the SS on the net business income. Then you take that income, deduct half of the SS, your personal deductions and pay federal income tax on that net.
Income after deductions.
Income after expenses is what you are given credit for making. If you grossed $40,000 and had $10,000 worth of expenses, you made $30,000. This is your taxable income and what is credited as your social security income.
MT, whenever I see someone saying a good income isn't possible SM
I immediately suspect that person is still typing most dictation out slowly and laboriously, letter by letter, word by word, like in the old days. Not as bad as trying to do this work on a Selectric, making corrections with Liquid Paper, but still way behind the times.
I have over 37,000 entries in my Expander program--words, phrases, paragraphs, whole report sections, and macros--and I'm still trying to catch up with people who use a lot more.
But just for instance, two Keystrokes are what it takes me to separate a run-on sentence into two and start the new sentence with a capital "The." My ShortHand knows I'm not really computer literate, so it recorded the strokes I use to type that normally and asked me to give it a name. I chose ".t"--the two keystrokes.
"Dr. Samangaranapour" is "drsam." And so on. And on.
For a slow typist, with the help of my expander I'm now record-breaking fast by the old standards.
And that's how it's humanly possible, and why so many people are still making good incomes on the current pay rates.
Since 2000, my income has gone down sm
every year and I am working more hours. That's it in a nutshell.
Income Taxes SM
I use an accountant for my taxes and it is well worth the money. One time I had an issue come up with the IRS and the accountant handled the problem for me. Also, the taxes are more complicated than if you are an employee somewhere. Good luck.
supplementing my income
 I decided to apply for a U. S. Census 2010 job, took the test, and was hired. Hooray! Training starts in my area in a couple of weeks. It's just the thing to supplement my MT income. Depending on where you live, there are still lots of census jobs available. The census bureau has already hired 140,000 census-takers and is planning to hire at least that many more. In my area, the pay is $12.50 an hour. It depends on your area of the country as to how much you make. You have to commit to 20 hours a week for a minimum of 10 weeks, maximum of up 10 months. You can work up to 40 hours if you want. That's what I'm going to do: Census 40 hours and MT 20 hours. Personally, I can't wait! I'll get to do the 2 things I love the most: walk and talk.
How much did your income fall?
NM
income drop
My production is about even with SR/VR as straight transcription, sometimes even less (the reports come in that full of garbage). Hence, with a rate per line decrease, my hourly pay dropped to 1/3.
Not for long. I just won't lay down and take that sort of abuse. And I do consider this situation abusive.
I have yet to find anyone that I can verify that that they are producing double, let alone triple their usual transcription lines per hour.
Sometimes it's not the income that's important - it's that you were THERE. Sounds like you
Just get rid of this ball and chain. Remember, when you "get off the train" at a man's station --- that's where you are stuck.
If that station isn't where you want you AND YOUR KIDS to be, even if you just leave with the clothes on your back - LEAVE.
You know in your heart if his lifestyle is what you want for your children. If it isn't, then first get away from him. Men are the biggest energy vampires in the world. They will suck the life right out of you.
Unfortunately editing VT will always be a loss of income for the MT.
s
I try to spend a month's net income.
It's always in proportion to what I make.
We split the amount in half and spend half on gifts for us and the other half we spend on a needy family. I let my boys make that decision years ago when they were young and I took them to our outreach program. They wanted to do that and we have stuck with it.
But our income for the year is a little over 200K. nm
x
No, you pay taxes on your "taxable income."
NET income is what is left for spending after taxes and deductions.
I think they meant not reporting your income
or paying taxes on it.
Nothing wrong with waitressing or any other job as long as you report ALL your income AND pay proper taxes on it.
It's called tax evasion and it is a criminal act -- whether or not you got caught. Sad point of view that it's not wrong unless you get caught.
Men appear to be making more income in this industry
I have worked with a guy here and there. It amazes me that they are able to make more. In one position, there was a guy in a position to distribute work who funneled the canned op reports (vasectomies primarily) to one guy on my account. Another is one I am working with now who somehow convinced those hiring him that he required a certain amount of money to raise a family. And he gets it. Seems to me that this is favortism. The "it's a man's world" frame of mind.
Has anyone else experienced this?
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