For use with compensation methods which pay by countable (printable, spaces, expanders, functions, tabs, etc.) characters. It is not applicable to payment by gross lines. You can use this chart to see what you're really making versus how hard you're pounding the keys. We divided 100,000 characters by various line lengths and multiplied by cents per line. For the 65-character line commonly used, 100,000 divided by 65 = 1538.46, and if you're being paid 10 cents per line, that comes out to $153.85 per 100,000 countable characters.

Try to make sure your compensation is listed as close to the top left of the chart as possible ;-) ... in the bright green area. Some transcription agencies are starting to pay on 72- and 78-character lines.

Line Length	25	30	35	40	45	50	55	60	65	70	75	80	85	90	95	Rate
$0.14	560.00	466.67	400.00	350.00	311.11	280.00	254.55	233.33	215.38	200.00	186.67	175.00	164.71	155.56	147.37	$0.14
$0.135	540.00	450.00	385.71	337.50	300.00	270.00	245.45	225.00	207.69	192.86	180.00	168.75	158.82	150.00	142.11	$0.135
$0.13	520.00	433.33	371.43	325.00	288.89	260.00	236.36	216.67	200.00	185.71	173.33	162.50	152.94	144.44	136.84	$0.13
$0.125	500.00	416.67	357.14	312.50	277.78	250.00	227.27	208.33	192.31	178.57	166.67	156.25	147.06	138.89	131.58	$0.125
$0.12	480.00	400.00	342.86	300.00	266.67	240.00	218.18	200.00	184.62	171.43	160.00	150.00	141.18	133.33	126.32	$0.12
$0.115	460.00	383.33	328.57	287.50	255.56	230.00	209.09	191.67	176.92	164.29	153.33	143.75	135.29	127.78	121.05	$0.115
$0.11	440.00	366.67	314.29	275.00	244.44	220.00	200.00	183.33	169.23	157.14	146.67	137.50	129.41	122.22	115.79	$0.11
$0.105	420.00	350.00	300.00	262.50	233.33	210.00	190.91	175.00	161.53	150.00	140.00	131.25	123.53	116.67	110.53	$0.105
$0.10	400.00	333.33	285.71	250.00	222.22	200.00	181.81	166.67	153.85	142.86	133.33	125.00	117.65	111.11	105.26	$0.10
$0.095	380.00	316.67	271.43	237.50	211.11	190.00	172.73	158.33	146.15	135.71	126.67	118.75	111.76	105.56	100.00	$0.095
$0.09	360.00	300.00	257.14	225.00	200.00	180.00	163.64	150.00	138.46	128.57	120.00	112.50	105.89	100.00	94.74	$0.09
$0.085	340.00	283.33	242.86	212.50	188.89	170.00	154.56	141.67	130.77	121.43	113.33	106.25	100.00	94.44	89.47	$0.085
$0.08	320.00	266.67	228.57	200.00	177.78	160.00	145.45	133.33	123.08	114.29	106.67	100.00	94.12	88.89	84.21	$0.08
$0.075	300.00	250.00	214.29	187.50	166.67	150.00	136.36	125.00	115.38	107.14	100.00	93.75	88.24	83.33	78.92	$0.075
$0.07	280.00	233.33	200.00	175.00	155.56	140.00	127.27	116.67	107.69	100.00	93.33	87.50	82.35	77.78	73.68	$0.07
$0.065	260.00	216.67	185.71	162.50	144.44	130.00	118.18	108.33	100.00	92.86	86.67	81.25	76.47	72.22	68.42	$0.065

If you're a transcriptionist considering two job offers, one paying 11 cents on a 60-character line and the other paying 12 cents on a 70-character line, using identical counting methods, which is the better offer? Answer: 11 cents on a 60-character line ($183.33) beats 12 cents on a 70-character line.

Discussion of payment by the gross line, page, stored bytes, etc., can be found elsewhere on the internet.

Never work for anyone who does not allow you full access to the software program and/or formula that is being used to calculate your pay. Line counts should always be independently verifiable by the transcriptionist, the employer, and the client. A phrase such as "We're #1" or "We pay our transcriptionists top dollar" is meaningless until it is quantified with verifiable numbers.

Do not take a job which pays only for actual keystrokes, or one which does not pay for spaces.

This page updated March 28, 2006.

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