PM/EST Salaries+

[gregorsc]

Would anyone be interested in a private e-mail conversation about what salary and benefits to ask for as a project manager /estimator?

 

[e57]

Would anyone be interested in a private e-mail conversation about what salary and benefits to ask for as a project manager /estimator?

Why not an open conversation? (Not like any of us are going to be negotiating your salery.... )

 

[480sparky]

Why not an open conversation? (Not like any of us are going to be negotiating your salery.... )

Mebbe he's applied for a job, and doesn't want to take a chance that where he's applied at is a member here...

 

[brian john]

I have posted a few items and recieved calls from friends in the business, One from Texas, old friend doing a search found me through the MH forum.

 

[Lxnxjxhx]

They may publish one for your area

They may publish one for your area

http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ocs/sp/ncbl0873.pdf

 

[gregorsc]

Sometimes people don't like to talk about what they get paid so I thought if I asked for it to be private I would get a better response.
I do not mind discussing it openly in this forum.

I work in Cincinnati as a PM/EST. I have been doing this for just over (3) years.My salary is $40,000 + a fuel card.The fuel card covers my diesel expenses both to and from work and any company uses such as job site visits. With fuel prices getting higher and higher($4.20 per gal diesel)the owner of the company is going to put a cap on how much fuel he will pay for.So what I was trying to find out was what is the range of base salaries for the work I do. The online searches I have done so far do not combine the (2) "positions" and for this area a PM is in the mid $40"s but I don't know what other types of benefits are common for this type of work.

 

[petersonra]

Generally, employers can set whatever terms of work they chose, although mostly they cannot force you to accept unreimbursed expenses of this type. This varies from state to state, and often by job classification. However, they may find someone willing to buy their own gas if you decline to do so.

Incidentally, the gas money you have been getting going to and from work is taxable as income.

I guess a lot depends on just where he plans to put the cap, and how flexible he is going to be about it.

 

[acwservices]

Sometimes people don't like to talk about what they get paid so I thought if I asked for it to be private I would get a better response.
I do not mind discussing it openly in this forum.

I work in Cincinnati as a PM/EST. I have been doing this for just over (3) years.My salary is $40,000 + a fuel card.The fuel card covers my diesel expenses both to and from work and any company uses such as job site visits. With fuel prices getting higher and higher($4.20 per gal diesel)the owner of the company is going to put a cap on how much fuel he will pay for.So what I was trying to find out was what is the range of base salaries for the work I do. The online searches I have done so far do not combine the (2) "positions" and for this area a PM is in the mid $40"s but I don't know what other types of benefits are common for this type of work.

You can go to salary.com and get an idea of the salary for your area. Even though they don't list an electrical PM, they do list electricians and construction PM's. They list the median base salary for an electrician in Cincinnati as $49,702, and the high end at $64,342. The construction PM is listed quite a bit higher than this, so I would assume that an electrical PM would fall between these two. This is base salary only, not including any benefits. You said you have been doing this for about 3 years- where you working in the field as an electrician prior to this?

 

[petersonra]

His stated salary was a big red flag to me, and I originally had made a comment about that, but edited it out since the comment didn't come out quite the way I intended it to. The number seemed very low to me, and the gas card was even more of a red flag.

Most of the time a legitimate business either provides a vehicle or pays mileage to reimburse employees for driving their own vehicle while on company business.

A gas card in lieu of mileage is actually much cheaper for the employer than paying a reasonable per mile fee, although the employee may not realize it.

 

[gregorsc]

acwservices: Yes I was in the field before I became a PM/EST.I went thru a (4)yr apprenticeship and spent about (3) yrs after school as a foreman.I am also an instructor for our local apprenticeship.

petersonra:The fuel card pays for all of my fuel expenses to and from work as well as any company related driving.
I have always felt that my base salary was a little low. I also felt the cost of my fuel was part of my compensation. At today's prices my fuel cost to and from work is about $150 per week.
The owner and I are trying to come to an agreement on how to restructure my "contract". I have a good tract record on my projects I have estimated and I project manage all of the jobs I estimate and some for our "senior" estimator. That along with the 3 years I have been doing this I am trying to find out what would be fair compensation for what I do.

I have thought about proposing to the owner that I make a base salary comparable to what my web searches have found plus a per mile compensation for job related uses.

 

[john_axelson]

I have thought about proposing to the owner that I make a base salary comparable to what my web searches have found plus a per mile compensation for job related uses.

In this area it is quite common to receive a gas card to pay for fuel expenses and still be able to charge for mileage. Unlike what some others have said, having a gas card is NOT a red flag. It is a taxable benefit for "personnal mileage", so you should be keeping track of your mileage.

Actually, at two of the 3 places I worked before starting out on my own, they furnished a company vehicle for the Estimator/PM's with a gas card. Again, you need to track your mileage. I would say your bas salary is low for this area, but I don't know what the rest of your benefit/bonus package is. We had Full Family medical, dental, vision, short term liability, long term liability, life insurance and a profit sharing plan (that at a minimum covered 14% of your base salary), and a cash bonus - all on top of our salary.

Most Electrical PM/Estimators in our area, with your experience (including field experience) are making a salary equivalent to the hourly rate a JW with 5 guaranteed overtime hours per week - would have made. How much does a JW make in your area? Add 5 hours at time and a half a week to that and you should be able to figure out where you should be.

 

[petersonra]

In this area it is quite common to receive a gas card to pay for fuel expenses and still be able to charge for mileage. Unlike what some others have said, having a gas card is NOT a red flag. It is a taxable benefit for "personnal mileage", so you should be keeping track of your mileage.

I have never heard of any place that gives out a gas card plus allows you to charge mileage, except some places that deduct the gas charges from your mileage reimbursement. The reason for this is the tax angle. the company would have to keep track of this and report it to the IRS every year and it is a major nuisance to do so. If they stick to a business use only scheme, either a company supplied vehicle only used for company business, or mileage reimbursement for company related business, there is no tax issue.

 

[john_axelson]

I have never heard of any place that gives out a gas card plus allows you to charge mileage, except some places that deduct the gas charges from your mileage reimbursement.

Guess that just goes to show you haven't experienced everything yet! As I stated, it is common here.

 

[john_axelson]

Maybe you are looking at the gas card as an expense reimbursement, instead of a benefit that is reported as income?

 

[petersonra]

Maybe you are looking at the gas card as an expense reimbursement, instead of a benefit that is reported as income?

My guess is he misunderstands how the gas card is being used. If they are doing this in a legitimate way, it is handled like an expense advance, the gas charges being deducted from mileage reimbursements. Otherwise it is a major paperwork headache, if it is being handled "properly". No doubt there are a few people who chose to do things in ways that the IRS would not approve of, but it seems unlikely it is real common. The IRS is pretty good at ferreting out those kinds of things.

AFAIK, it is still legal to provide an employee with an expense allowance, as long as it does not exceed the IRS limits on such things. It could be they are handling it that way too. A lot of employees like to brag about how they get some special benefit like this that they see as being untaxed, when in reality they are being screwed over and just do not realize it. The IRS mileage rate is 50.5 cents these days. If your total reimbursement for business miles is less than that number, your employer is maybe taking a little bit of an advantage of you.

 

[john_axelson]

My guess is he misunderstands how the gas card is being used.

Umm.. I didn't misunderstand it at all. The use of the gas card was reported to the IRS by my company, I paid taxes on it. Each card was tracked by employee and reported as income. The mileage reimbursement was charged at the allowed rate by the IRS at the time and was re-imbursed as an expense.

I am wondering if Bob "moon lights" as an accountant, perhaps a bit of sidework, instead of engineering? If so, what are your rates?

Back to the OP, you should be able to either receive a vehicle allowance per month or a company vehicle. Neither is unheard of.

 

[ITO]

If you want to know what you are worth, put your resume on the street or even Monster. At the very least you will find out what PM/Est can be had for. Call a head hunter, they will tell you what you are worth too.

Wish I could hire a good qualified PM/Est for for 40K plus gas, the good ones all want in between 60K and 80K with a few even asking 6 figures.

 

[petersonra]

If you want to know what you are worth, put your resume on the street or even Monster. At the very least you will find out what PM/Est can be had for. Call a head hunter, they will tell you what you are worth too.

Wish I could hire a good qualified PM/Est for for 40K plus gas, the good ones all want in between 60K and 80K with a few even asking 6 figures.

I would have expected a quality PM to want close to 6 figures most anywhere, someplaces a fair amount more. But a guy with only a few years experience, and no degree might not be worth quite so much. Even so, $40k seems pretty cheap.

 

[cschmid]

oh boy..You are worth what you negoiate for pay and are happy with..I am PM but do not do estimates..I have a company vehicle and a gas card..open charge accounts the works..No contract..just pick up check once a month..How can you peform PM and still bid and do good PM especially if you are doing more than one PM job in different locations..

 

[petersonra]

oh boy..You are worth what you negoiate for pay and are happy with..I am PM but do not do estimates..I have a company vehicle and a gas card..open charge accounts the works..No contract..just pick up check once a month..How can you peform PM and still bid and do good PM especially if you are doing more than one PM job in different locations..

Could be that the title does not accurately reflect his true job. Thats not unusual.