what is appropriate for a PHP programmer to charge?

[nwitty]

hello all,

am new to this forum, appreciate your responses in advance.

i'm a php programmer and am reexamining my rates in light of an upcoming estimate i need to make for a large job. i was curious as to what people out there are charging per hour for freelance php/mysql programming. want to make sure i'm not too high or low.

my experience level is 1 year of full-time, 4 years of part-time freelance in PHP and MySQL.

thanks very much

[sarahk]

I charge US$50 but I'm offshore so my rates may not be relevant.

[zippee]

I come across a few freelance sitse, the charge is between $100-$150 for small project that took a week or so to complete. It's always depend on the complexity of the project, the less others can do, the better rate you can asked for.

If you also equiped with server knowledge, you are in stronger position to negotiate.

[leelee]

It depends where you are, it depends what you're working on, and it depends who your client is.

As an example, I'm in the UK, and having to pay a mortgage and eat and things means I can't compete with the $100-$150 rates for a 1 week project. My clients know me, know I can get the job done, and know that they will end up with a product of excellent quality.

As a result, my weekly rate is around 50x that of the freelancers. But am I able to get work online? Oh no no no.

So, in summary, it depends.

[TopDogger]

You'll have to do some research to see what you can charge in your part of the planet. Build up a portfolio of projects to show that you have experience. More experienced programmers can easily charge more. The going rate in Arizona fpr PHP programmers is $100 to $125 per hour.

zippee is also correct that the more difficult projects allow you to charge a premium price. Just make sure that you can handle them before you commit.

[zippee]

my experience level is 1 year of full-time, 4 years of part-time freelance in PHP and MySQL.

Your experience is just enough, may considered as junior in term of length of programming. However, most clients are looking at your previously completed project, i.e. your portfolio. If you have 10-15 great projects which are also related to what your clients want, then you are very likely to get the job with a negotiable price.

Do you have your own web site to show-off your completed projects?