Hi everyone, I've been doing some research into how to charge per audio minute. I used to be a legal secretary for a long time and of course I didnt charge my employer to transcribe tapes, it just came with my salary, so I have no idea how to really charge. I did some transcription work as a VA for a doctor in Canada and charged him my normally hourly rate. He didn't complain about the rate at all, paid it and said I did a really good job.

In my research of per audio minute rates, I found a range from .75 cents to $2.00 per minute. Using the formula below by another VA on the forum, I came up with a per minute rate of $2.33 if I take my hourly rate of $35 multiply by 4 (assuming it will take me 4 minutes for every audio minute) and then divided by 60 for 60 minutes. Comparing it to other rates I found online this seems a bit high so I lowered it to $2 per audio minute. My rates: http://romerocomm.com/transcription/

I was wondering if you ladies could take a look at of my rates which includes quality, time coding and rush jobs and let me know if you think I'm charging too much or too little? I wrote down whatever rates I could find for these additional fees and that's how I came up with the numbers. Thanks!

Originally Posted by anisemama

30 minutes of audio in one hour? Either someone types 200 words a minute, there are a whole lot of pauses, or someone's stretching the truth! I do a LOT of transcription. For a long time, it made up 90% of what I did for income. I'm a fast typist, averaging between 90 and 100 words a minute, though I've been tested at over 120 words a minute. With clear audio, good speakers, no one trying to overtalk someone else, I can do 3 to 1. But that's like the absolute perfect, dream audio, and those are rare. Usually, it's 3.5 or 4 to 1. And if the audio is bad? 5 or 6 to 1. Because of that, I charge by audio minute for all transcription work. I do offer a transcription retainer package, which is for clear audio, 2 hour chunks, at a 10% discount. The way I figured my rate was this: First, how much per hour of work do I want to make? Multiply that by 4. Average transcription is 4 hours work for 1 hour of audio. That gives my rate per hour of audio. But most transcription work that I do isn't that long, and people want it broken down even more. So divide that number by 60, and that is your BASE rate per audio minute. I say base, because if they have crappy audio that is going to be difficult to transcribe, you are going to want to charge more, because it's going to take you longer to do. I have three levels. The BASE rate applies to clear audio, no more than two speakers, easy to understand. Because I'm good with accents, as long as the person's accent isn't too thick, they get the base rate. Level two audio gets a .25 per audio minute surcharge. That's audio with more than two speakers, or speakers with thicker accents. Level three audio gets a .50 per audio minute surcharge. That's audio with severe quality problems, focus groups, or a lot of people trying to talk over one another. I hate doing them, so I charge more for them LOL It's all about how much time it takes you to do the work, and getting a fair hourly wage. I've seen transcriptionists charge .25 to .50 per audio minute, and wonder how they are surviving! That works out to 3.25 to 7.50 an hour! Minimum wage in my state is $7.40 an hour, and I think transcription deserves far more than that! It's a skill, and not everyone can do it. I've seen people who can type 100 words or more not be able to do it, because it's far more than just typing! Skilled work deserves more than scraping by wages.

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Paulette R.
Romero Communications