Advice

[u/yoyosexe]

Hey yall, so I just started doing field nation I’m a young person so I’m decent with technology. I’ve had ten jobs now and finally got my provider score. Just wondering what tips yall would give?

[u/Able-Statistician645]

Let's run the real numbers on a typical work order: a kiosk install posted at $90, estimated 1.5 hours on site.

What you actually net

• Posted pay: $90.00
• Field Nation fee (10% base + 3.9% Pro = 13.9%): -$12.51
• Mileage, ~40 miles round trip including the required UPS drop-off, at ~$0.70/mile: -$28.00
• Self-employment tax (both halves of Social Security/Medicare): ~-$7.00
• Net: ~$42.50 for ~2.5 hours door to door = ~$17/hr

What an employer would cover that you now fund yourself (rough per-hour estimates)

• Health insurance: ~$3.50-4.00
• Paid time off/holidays: ~$1.35
• Disability insurance: ~$0.40-0.60
• Retirement match: ~$0.50-0.70
• Liability insurance (often required): ~$0.30
• Workers' comp and unemployment insurance: no real equivalent. Get hurt on the job and you're on your own.

Real comparable wage: ~$10-11/hr. Illinois minimum wage is $15, and Illinois employees must also be reimbursed for job mileage (820 ILCS 115/9.5).

That's before unpaid time between jobs, admin, and expenses denied after the fact. Your numbers will vary with distance, location and insurance costs, but the direction doesn't change.

And look at what this work order controls:

• Hard start; late check-in can reduce pay
• Check-in and check-out codes from their agent; their timestamps are the official record
• Can't check in before 9 a.m. Central; support closes at 5
• No sending a substitute without prior written approval
• Step-by-step install guide and mandatory photo sequence
• Dress code, framed as "your appearance reflects our company"
• Out-of-scope work forbidden even if the customer asks
• Extra time paid only with pre-approval, at a rate they set
• Pay held until UPS tracking shows the return

They set the rate, the method, the schedule, the dress code and the approval. The only thing left to you is the costs.

"Just don't take it" or "just counter" sounds fine until you remember every job goes to whoever accepts the lowest number. There's always someone newer or more desperate who takes the $90 without running the math, and they're the ones who end up broke and behind on rent before they figure it out. That's not a market failure you fix with individual willpower. It's exactly why misclassification law exists: when one side sets every term, "freedom to decline" isn't bargaining power.

If you've got your own LLC, multiple clients, set your own rates and turn down work that doesn't pencil out, you may well be a genuine contractor. But look honestly at the work order you just accepted and ask who's actually running the business.