Finding out the rate being charged?

[piotrkula]

Heheheh, I remember my first contract at NHS.

Agent put me in for 150 per day and I was chuffed to bits to work for NHS, first contract, nice place, nice people.
Renewal came up and I told my team leader, you know what, I am going to look for another contract cause 150 was OK to start with but I can get 250 closer to home. His face went pale with WTF?! ahahahah.

He revealed the agency was taking 280 ... for my 150 rate.

Then I went pale.

End of day I got raise to 250 with them paying 280 and carried on working there for a while. As in guidelines with the recommended upmark of some daft percentage in this industry standard but the agency black listed me. Hahahahahah. I would have probably NOT worked at NHS if I wasnt happy to take £150 initially. DOesnt matter, I made friends there and other agents service the same team, besides theres tons of other work.

I tried to find out various things to try and get the "unfair" money taken from me back, etc.. it is NOT worth even touching this topic with a barge pole. It is all kinds of sick mess, politics and will just burn you at the end of the day. If you are happy taking X and the agency takes Y.. thats it, its not really your business, what their business is. They dont come asking you how much you make on this and that. Business is Business.

[Brussels Slumdog]

I quote the rate that I am happy with depending on the location and length of the contract. Last year I was on £500 in London which worked out at €700 and my living costs are in euros. No two contractors have the same costs.

[northernladuk]

I tried to find out various things to try and get the "unfair" money taken from me back, etc.. it is NOT worth even touching this topic with a barge pole. It is all kinds of sick mess, politics and will just burn you at the end of the day. If you are happy taking X and the agency takes Y.. thats it, its not really your business, what their business is. They dont come asking you how much you make on this and that. Business is Business.

I'm sorry but not only did you let someone screw you over you then make a dick of yourself talking about unfair money? You agreed the rate, you didn't negotiate and accepted. Fair is fair. You had the option to deal with it and didnt take it. To cry 'unfair'is just lame. To then run around asking for it back.. Jeez they must still be laughing about that now. I don't think you need to tell most of the people on here this was a bad idea.

[No2politics]

I tried to find out various things to try and get the "unfair" money taken from me back, etc.. .

Lol!

[psychocandy]

Do you insist on tesco telling you how much they pay for the cornflakes they sell you?

[psychocandy]

Having recently "accidentally" found out the rate client was paying (OK client manager sent it to me not aware that was their rate not mine!) I'm wondering what to do with the info I must admit.

Turns out agency is only taking 8% which I guess is pretty low. Saying that, I never hear from them, so after being in the gig over a year its money for old rope for them I guess. Still probably not much slack here at all.

Now is the time to ask for a rate change methinks. Client has asked to extend and work on a different project (so I want contract changed to reflect this) which involves much more responsibility (and would have cost them more for someone with these skills). Also, with dividend tax coming in April its gonna cost me.

On 8% theres not much wriggle room here so client is going to have to stump up some but I'm wondering if I can agents margin down a bit. So:-

1. Admit to the agent I know the cut so there we are.
2. Keep knowledge to myself and use it where I can.

Don't think client is going to be overpleased with me asking for an increase. They are the sort who agree budgets, then offer the extension assuming its the same rate and I'm bound to accept.

[TheFaQQer]

with dividend tax coming in April its gonna cost me.

I think this is the most important thing - make sure you really emphasise to the client and the agency that the tax changes mean that you're going to be hard hit after April and so they need to stump up the cash or you'll leave.

Go get 'em, tiger.

[NotAllThere]

Are you crazy? The only time you reveal that you know the margin is when it's high. If it's low, and you tell the agent that you know it's low, you've weakened your own position.

Once again - it most definitely is your business to know the margin, if you can. If you are getting £500 a day and the client is paying £1000 a day, the client will expect more from you than from the contractor who's on £750 for whom they're paying £850. Or if they need to cut costs and ditch one contractor - guess what, all things being equal, it'll be you.

[psychocandy]

I think this is the most important thing - make sure you really emphasise to the client and the agency that the tax changes mean that you're going to be hard hit after April and so they need to stump up the cash or you'll leave.

Go get 'em, tiger.

yes yes very funny.....

[northernladuk]

Having recently "accidentally" found out the rate client was paying (OK client manager sent it to me not aware that was their rate not mine!) I'm wondering what to do with the info I must admit.

Turns out agency is only taking 8% which I guess is pretty low. Saying that, I never hear from them, so after being in the gig over a year its money for old rope for them I guess. Still probably not much slack here at all.

8% is pretty low. The only way it's going to be any lower is if you are at some massive client and the agent is the incumbent onsite presence. Could be down to about 5% if that was the case. Not a lot less. We need to start talking cash here now though not percentages to put a reality spin on it. Lets assume you are on 400 so they are taking 32 quid a day.

Now is the time to ask for a rate change methinks. Client has asked to extend and work on a different project (so I want contract changed to reflect this) which involves much more responsibility (and would have cost them more for someone with these skills). Also, with dividend tax coming in April its gonna cost me.

More responsibility doesn't always warrant a rate change I am afraid. A completely different grade might, or a different role but not a bit more responsibility. That's permie thinking. You are doing a role at a rate. Sometimes you get paid for doing sod all, sometimes they want their pound of flesh. Dividend tax is your problem not your clients but you can offer the excuse your operating costs have gone up. What I would NOT be doing however is trying to be the first person to see if they can raise their rates because of it. I honestly don't think the client or agent will know anything about this let alone bat an eyelid. I'd be happy to wait to see how this pans out before using it as an excuse for a raise. It's a valid increase though so if you want to offer it up then fair enough.

On 8% theres not much wriggle room here so client is going to have to stump up some but I'm wondering if I can agents margin down a bit. So:-

1. Admit to the agent I know the cut so there we are.
2. Keep knowledge to myself and use it where I can.

Don't think client is going to be overpleased with me asking for an increase. They are the sort who agree budgets, then offer the extension assuming its the same rate and I'm bound to accept.

The client isn't going to stump up. I'd forget this one. If you are happy on the rate you are on then just concentrate on squeezing the agent.
That said what are you going to squeeze the agent for? 1, maybe 2%... 4 or 8 quid more? Of which how much hits your pocket? And you are going to have a hard time trying to get an agent to accept the absolutely lowest possible rate he can do. IMO for that amount of money you are going to label yourself a greedy trouble maker.

8% is a very fair rate and I see nothing in here that is worth rocking the boat for less than a tenner a day.... You've finally got a client you don't hate, an agent you are not moaning about constantly. Why mess that up now?