That should be 15% social security of your gross quarterly earnings also. n,

:

• For IC MTs, when you pay your quarterly taxes that you calculate do you also add in the 15% social s - PAMT
  • Quarterly Taxes - just an IC
  • That should be 15% social security of your gross quarterly earnings also. n, - PAMT
    • Me too first time...... - Jannie

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I have always just filed at the end of the year.  Does everyone else (IC) file quarterly?

Also, if I want to pay into my social secirty on my own, can anyone tell me how to do that?

Thanks!!

I am an IC MT in California.  Does anyone know if we can pay into SS so that we get compensated for retirement?  As of yet, I have not but would like to in the future, if it is possible.   

TIA

Social Security will take your earnings from your Schedule C that goes onto your 1040.  Whatever amount you declare and pay your self employment taxes on (15.75%) is the amount that they will use for your yearly earnings. 

federal and state taxes as an IC? I am new to this and dont know the first thing about it. How do I get vouchers for the taxes and how do I pay the SS...thank you!

Hello. I have a few small part time transcription accounts and want to know how I can claim them so I can accumulate time for Social Security benefits. I'm an independent contractor using 1099.  

Thanks,

Terry

Your SS is figured in on your schedule C -- after your deductions you pay on your net income and that is added to your federal taxes and you send in one check and pay it all.  You can do quarterly if you do not have a husband to over withold from or if you are not an employee on another job.  Social Security and Federal taxes are not two entities -- but one.

Patti

In the year you reach full retirement age, $1 in benefits will be deducted for each $3 you earn above the annual limit ($34,440 in 2007) until the month you reach full retirement. AFTER THAT, YOUR BENEFITS WILL NOT BE REDUCED, NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU EARN.   This is directly from their posting.

Go to SSA.gov and research the payee options.  You may have to use the search engine, but your answer to this particular issue should be there.

I am disabled and while my kids were minors, I had to fill out a form each year on how I, as the payee spent each and every penny of the money they received.  I don't see how his mother can justify how she spent his money for things that you normally would pay.

That said, he is getting Social Security right?  Is your son receiving a dependent check?  Under law, if a parent is disabled and has minor children, each and every one of those children also receive a check until they turn 18 or graduate from high school, which ever comes first.

The check is a percentage of your husbands, so for 800.00, your son should receive at least 350.00.  If you have not been getting this, they would pro-rate it back to when your husbands disability started and that in itself, could solve a lot of your financial problems.  You can also find this out on their website,  HTH

Hi there,

I have been working as an MT since January.  It was certainly slow at first as I was on a learning curve.  Now I am quite familiar with the work and have made all sorts of "shorthand" for myself with MS Word.  I also spend long hours, often more than 8 a day working at this, and I am still only earning under $600 per two weeks.  How do I get my earnings up?  I have heard one can make very good money doing this... but I am considering going back to work outside the home.  I need to earn at least $1000 per two weeks.  The company I am with pays 8 cpl for typing and 4 cpl for editing.

The MT Conundrum

Those in the medical transcription field flocked to our 2008 Salary Survey, eager to see how they measured up against their colleagues. We had 872 total respondents in the transcription field, and 516 full-time MTs/editors and 212 part-time MTs/editors took our annual survey. Average MT salaries did nudge up a bit--4 percent--from last year, with full- and part-time MTs/editors making an average of $28,900 in 2008, compared to $27,800 last year. Full-time MTs reported bringing in $33,500.

At the Association for Health Care Documentation Integrity (AHDI), Kim Buchanan, CMT, AHDI-F, director of education and credentialing, hears a lot of complaints from MTs in the industry reporting drops in pay. "You hear complaints that wages are going down, but overall the data shows otherwise," Buchanan said. "This stat is showing we're slowly increasing."

MTs who work for medical transcription service organizations (MTSOs) did see a dip in pay (see sidebar on the next page), but certified medical transcriptionists (CMTs) (21 percent of full-time MTs) saw average salaries poke up to $39,000. To compare with last year's results, CMTs across all HIM professions brought in $37,864, and this year, CMTs who were MTs and other HIM professionals combined made an average of $43,900. Buchanan was very encouraged by the numbers, as full-time MTs who have a CMT make nearly $7,000 more than their non-credentialed colleagues. "To me, that really shows the credential differentiates you in the marketplace," Buchanan noted. "It's really encouraging to me to see the credential is being valued, and it should be. The complexity of documentation we're starting to see is going to require a  knowledgeable worker, and to me, credentials show you made a commitment to lifelong learning and you are truly invested in your knowledge."

The registered medical Transcriptionist (RMT) credentialed folks didn't fare as well, making on average $6,000 less than full-time MTs with no credential. The credential is only 2 years old, Buchanan explained, and most RMTs are entry-level MTs/editors who just came out of school. Looking at the average salary of MTs/editors with 0 to 2 years' experience ($24,500), RMTs make more than that ($26,100), and the RMT might also just be the ticket that gets new MTs hired in the field. "In a way, it's really helping them leapfrog that beginning salary you show on 0 to 2 years," Buchanan said. "It's helping them, it's propelling them, and it's putting them ahead, which is great. That's exactly what we wanted it to do."

After examining all the numbers for MTs, Buchanan was happy the average salary for MTs/editors crept up, albeit slightly. "Overall, I'm encouraged to see we continue to increase, even if it's at what looks like a snail's pace," Buchanan said. "In an economy where people are losing jobs left and right, it's good to know transcription is remaining viable, and we're still seeing our wages creep back up."  

Lynn Jusinski is an associate Editor with ADVANCE.

Am relatively new to at home transcription so I am not doing as well as most poster.

Instant Text is relativley new to me, but helping prodcution.

I am not familiar with MP Lite. I know someone will be kind enough to share.

Thanks!

Hello all ... I've been an MT for 13+ years and my current hospital has OUTSOURCED  my position!  I'm in a crappy  job at the hospital currently, working 3-11, to keep my benefits until I decide what to do, and go on interviews.  I'm considering working for the company that took over the hospital account - but I'm not sure what to expect as far as pay per line.  

If its not too personal - how much do you guys earn at home per hour/week?

THanks so much!  Joanne 

1.  What are your monthly earnings -- just you (no spousal income) -- doesn't matter how many jobs....monthly earnings?

2.   Do you work more than one job?

3.  What is your base line rate?  If you have more than 1 job, list all base rates.

4.   Now what is the minimum bring-home pay you need to survive each month?  This is your housing, energy, transportation, insurances, food -- what you have to have to make it. 

5.   What's the difference?  Are you in the hole?  Got surplus?  Breaking even?

My answers:

1.   About $3100 each month.

2.   One job.

3.   $0.095 cpl plus some incentive bonus each month.

4.   $2287 gets everything paid.  Savings and pocket money not included in that figure.

5.   Surplus but not much.  Trying to save as much as possible and have a few greenbacks in my wallet each week. 

what matters is: is it worth it to you to work for that rate? On some accounts, my IC's might make only 50% of what I charge the client, on others they might be paid 80%. For one physician, I might charge 12 cents a line - if another calls, says they are in a jam and desperate to get their backlog done, I might bid it at 14.  But if you are satisifed with say 8.5 cents a line, it doesn't matter if your MTSO charges them 9.5 or 19.5.

As far as line rates to physicians, again, it depends on what the market will bear. You could call local physician offices and tell them you are an independent MT service and you are getting price ranges for the locality, and ask the OM what they are paying. That would give you an idea of what is competitive. In West  Virginia, they might be charging 18 cents per line, in Chicagoland they might be charging 11.

The line rate

I have been an IC for 16 years now but was married before and so had my husband overwithold.   Then the last couple of years held a part-time in-house position and so overpaid that way.  But this year will probably keep an eye on things and see what my taxes will be after about June and if it is bad, will make a payment then.  I will have a lot of deductions this coming year - 2007 - so that will help.  When I do my 2006 taxes I will just see what I owe and go from there.  If it is easier to send in $400 four times a year instead of April 15th, will do that.  I have never had to pay that much in penalities when I did not do quarterlies that it bothered me.  

Last August, I was dropped from employee status to IC.  I don't know of anyone else in my area that works from home as I do so I have a question for any of you that are IC's.  When you file taxes you get a 1099 form from the work site, do you keep out money in a separate account for your taxes the following year or do you pay in throughout the year? 

So in August of 2005, you went to IC status. You will owe income taxes including self employment taxes on everything from August on. By April 15, your tax man will have figured out what you need to pay. By April 15, this year you need to either start a) filing quarterly or b) increasing husband's withholding so that all your taxes paid for 2006 are equal to or greater than what you owed in 2005. For example, say in 2005, you made $10,000 as an IC and say you owed $2500 in taxes. Your husband made $40,000 and owed $8000 in taxes. In 2006, you would need to have $10500 withheld from his checks or a combination of his checks and your quarterly filings. And don't go into you pay more taxes as an IC than an employee. We've had that discussion up and down these boards these past two weeks. Don't even go there.