Exchange Rates

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Pushpin

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What are the rates for a Master Electrician in your area?

I'm a Master Electrician and know I'm under paid.
What should I be making?

27 years in the trade, Master for 6 years, I design, install and program controls for gas plants. I also supervise crews all across the US. I've been on 80 planes this year.
 
George Stolz

George Stolz

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Windsor, CO NEC: 2017
Occupation
Service Manager
As low as $16 per hour in my area, but average pay is $20. High pay is around $25.

Having a master means little to the employer here, a master cannot supervise any more apprentices on site than a journeyman.
 
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Pushpin

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Wow don't want to move there! LOL
I'm over paid for your area.
Where I'm from we pull permits. No one can do electrical work unless you work for a licensed Master.
 
George Stolz

George Stolz

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Windsor, CO NEC: 2017
Occupation
Service Manager
How can you be underpaid if you're the owner? You are farming out your master license to someone?

Sounds like you can dictate your own pay or start your own.
 
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Pushpin

Member
I do have my own company but 100% of my work is to one company.
The line between contractor and employee is fuzzy here. They provide no benefits or pay any taxes. (contractor) They do have 60 to 70 hours of work per week for the last 3 years that I have worked. (employee)

I invoice them on my letterhead.
 
jrannis

jrannis

Senior Member
Location
Fort Lauderdale/ Miami
The pay all depends in the part of the country you are in.
The following link is for reference only and not an endorsment of any kind.
This is a link to a construction jobs board:

http://www.ibew.org/members/jobs/index.asp

Pick a State and you can see what prevaling journeyman rates are for that area.
You will see a conspicuous absence of "master" pay rates. General foreman or field supervision rates are about 20% to 25% more.
I can see guys with a masters licenses being paid as a General Foreman if they supervise or even more if they pull permits.

I was paid the General Foreman rate plus a $500 per week stipend for pulling permits
 
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Pushpin

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I'm looking for what a company charges not just general wages. I must supply my own benefits, vacation, insurance, overhead, admin cost.

What does your company charge a customer?
 
km5qd

km5qd

Member
Location
Lawton, OK.
I get $65/h for myself. I dont think I would do it for less then $50/h. Thats if your EC License is needed, otherwise its just a JW license and not worth as much.
 
J

jdsmith

Senior Member
Location
Ohio
Pushpin said:
I'm looking for what a company charges not just general wages. I must supply my own benefits, vacation, insurance, overhead, admin cost.

What does your company charge a customer?
Click to expand...

Did you really have to open that can of worms?:roll: Figuring out what to charge is based on what hourly rate you want to make plus your overhead expenses. I would think your overhead would be easier to compute than a typical electrician since it sounds like you work on an expense account basis. My pay as a consulting engineer is figured the same way. My hourly rate plus enough extra for 3 weeks paid vacation plus all of the company paid benefits, social security tax, etc. The plane tickets and any other expenses the customer will pay for are all out of the picture here which should make it easier to calculate. If you think about it this way then what jrannis wrote should help you figure it out. If it was me I'd be calculating in all waking hours while traveling, but I'm not that lucky yet.
 
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Pushpin

Member
Thanks for your input!!!!
Opened the can and pored them out.
I don't know what they charge for my services. I never see a bid, or an invoice to the customer. I don't ask or question how much anything cost, it just has to be done right, safe, repeatable, and accurate.

They never question my invoices either. I have their company cc so expenses are what they are.

I guess I have it pretty good but still feel under paid. When I ask the electricians contracted by us how much their company charges per man hour it more than I charge, I design, supervise, and do the as builts for their work.
 
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