Pay rates for self-employed editors now on IPEd website
IPEd’s Pay Rates Working Party (PRWP) has been working to research, discuss, calculate and present something many editors have been needing for years: a guide to hourly pay rates for self-employed editors.
The guide is provided in two parts. The information on IPEd’s website here is public and therefore of use both to editors (members and non-members) and to prospective clients seeking additional information on hourly rates when hiring an editor. This complements the ‘How to brief an editor’ information already on the website.
The information provided in the members-only (MemNet) section (login here) will help self-employed editors to calculate fair pay rates to ensure they have a long-term, sustainable business. 
The rates are based on equivalent employee salaries and benefits and recognise all the billable and non-billable aspects of running a business as a sole operator. Detailed information on these variables, assumptions and calculations is in the members-only section.
The aim of the information is to assist self-employed editors to set rates more confidently. There are, of course, many variables that must be taken into account, and the rates are fair rates, not recommended rates.
Future work of the PRWP includes developing the next IPEd editors’ survey for more information to inform our ongoing research, providing similar information for New Zealand editors, considering in-house pay rates and working conditions for editors, and reviewing rates at least annually.
Sally Asnicar
Pay Rates Working Party
Photo credit: Melissa Walker