nixer

goose06

Morning everyone.
I've posted this in the Work forum but have recieved no response as of yet.
I was wondering if anyone here had any sugestions. Mods feel free to delete if this is an inappropiate post:

How much to charge for IT nixer

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Hopefully someone here would be able to help me here.
I'm currently doing a nixer for a small business. Basically its maintenance work on 8 PCs and one DC, doing hardware upgrades, patching the machines, rewiring the network, configuring a new broadband connection and some sage work. My problem is that this is the first time that I have ever done a nixer so I'm at a bit of a loss as to how much I should be charging. Any suggestions are welcome. BTW this is being all done in the evenings, should that have a bearing on how much I should charge?

EL_Loco

is it a "proper" nixer where you get cash in hand? Or will you be paid from a company account, where you'll be opening yourself up to Tax liabilities?

just another word of advice, be sure and outline where your work ends or you'll be getting calls about all sorts of stuff because in their mind you're all of a sudden responsible for their IT requirements.

Pick an hourly rate (maybe make it the same as your 9-5 job x1.5 or x2 if you feel it's like doing overtime as it's in the evening), agree to it, and be honest about how much time you've put in. When you've done the work set out at the start get paid for doing it. If there's other issues or follow ons, apply the same rate, or re-negoiate. Be very clear when you've achieved what you were asked to do, and get the money.

Sometimes they can be more trouble than they're worth, so just manage it properly and you should be alright, ya durty tax dodger. :-p

RobbieMc

I used to do this in the past, nice little earner, but a flipper when I started to get calls during the day and late at night. I have a regular job people, leave me alone
sorry for the rant.

OK, been a small company, they will want to make a payment via the company accounts, so charge them on headed paper plus vat. charge per hour, normally around 50 to 65 as an average. Plus any parts used, cables, plugs software. Keep all your purchase reciepts for any parts you buy, mark it up and charge it back to the client.
Then after job is complete, declare it with the tax man, jobs oxo.

If they are paying you cash , well isn't that SO MUCH better , but still record everything, explain the times and methods they can make contact with you and stick by it.

And, good luck.

Rob

ChRoMe

RobbieMc wrote: »

I used to do this in the past, nice little earner, but a flipper when I started to get calls during the day and late at night. I have a regular job people, leave me alone
sorry for the rant.

This was a surprise to you? Seriously usually these types of nixers end up costing you (the service provider) more than you make. The norm with small companies with no in house IT resource is that when _anything_ goes wrong with their setup you will be called because you were the last person dealing with and therefore it must be your fault. They are slightly better than the worst possible IT customer, the home user.

My advice would be to write in a contract/letter/whatever that additional support will be billed at €X per hour.

goose06

Its a cash in hand job, I have told them in advance that I am only available in the evenings so hopefully they won't abuse this, but at the same time I'm a fairly blunt person so I wouldn't be long in telling them to stop calling me during the day job.

I was thinking of charging them around 70 per hour but 65 is probably a more reasonably rate. Thanks for the feedback lads.

unnameduser

for as long as you set the ground rules and get everything straight from the start then it should be fine. Small businesses can usually not afford a dedicated I.T. person and usually utilise the services of a local techie. If you do a good job and not rip them off then you might yourself with a nice little regular nixer. The prices you quoted are fairly right.