O/T Day Labor

I retired Jan. 1 at 62. Last week I helped the preacher put up about 650 feet of field fence. He paid me $15.00/hour. Got me to thinking that maybe I could hire out when anyone needs an extra hand. Things like shingling, concrete, construction projects, clean up, etc. Is the rate in the ball park and would you hire day labor? What is the down side? I would carry workman"s comp, etc. Any thoughts?

Larry in Michigan

I pay good part time help $10/hour in tobacco, if some one was good at putting up fence $15 would be worth it to me. I have been looking for some one to help me with some stuff around the house, painting, little dry wall, trim work, ect that I need to get done and am running out of time. (Got a first born baby due June 18 and lots of farm'n to do around my night job tween now and then) I would be happy to find some one to do house work for $15 to $20 or so an hour. Every one I know that used to do work like that ain't looking for work and the only folks I can find are contractors that want to send out a crew in a $50,000 truck that I ain't in the mood to make a payment on.

Dave

A few years ago I had my BIL help me cut up trees, chip trees, log trees and burn up brush for a whole day, 8 hours. And I paid him $100.

When I built my deck in 2005 I paid this same BIL $100 for helping me put in the posts, pressure treated frame, 9 hours for that $100 for that too.
I bought pizza when we were done.
We finished the deck frame, which is hard for me to do by myself. My BIL is NOT a skilled carpenter but he is a hard worker and in his mid 30s at the time.

Liability and competence would be the biggest hurdles. Your work , if well done, would bring references that are invaluable in getting future work. Also some people are very hard to please and would renig on offer to pay after the work is completed. Everyone is not as honest as you and they don't have the same set of value standards as you do. It would be worth a try and you should carry your own workmans comp and liability insurance so the custome would not have to worry about you destroying their place. Might be good to specialize in something you are exceptional at so that you can do the work in a competent and safe manner.

If I found an honest hardworking guy that I could have work unsupervised at times I would gladly pay $15 an hour.

Many states share info with IRS. Opening a workers comp policy might start that chain in motion. If EVERYTHING is legal, taxes, ect, $15 per hr won't make you rich. A legal "one man band" sort of operation has as many pitfalls as a bigger operation with several employees.

That said, there's ALWAYS work for competent, hard working day labor.

Were you paid 'under the table'? Was the total enough to require a 1099? Since you worked for 'the' preacher, I assume he adhered to the letter of the law........'Give unto Caesar'.

In the metro Omaha area, some operations can only be done by licensed people-plumbing, heating and electrical are the biggies. Also steam fitters, fire sprinklers, etc. Make sure you do not do any of these, if they are regulated by your county/city. Also, do not charge any more, or less than the guys who are not retired! I have been a remodeling contractor for 20 plus years, but now cannot find work-mostly from guys who do their own 'regulated' work (obviously, they would be cheaper than me doing things legally), plus by guys who do not charge enough to live on. Proper insurance (in Nebraska, I, as a one man crew do not need workers comp), but you would need liability insurance, and possibly register with the county (in our county all you have to prove is liability insurance, plus pay a $40.00 fee to not get a $5000 fine). If you under cut the guys who are full time, you are not even doing yourself any favors. My thoughts, I guess. Greg

If you are looking for extra work a friend of mine
just signed up for a program call'd
EXPERIENCE WORKS, This program is for folks that are retired and need a little extra money. He found out about this from the unemployment office,and this is the number for expreience works,inc.
1-866-397=9757 and the web; is www.experienceworks.org
He likes it he works 20 hours a week and he is done.Good luck.
JR.Frye

$15/hr??? How soon can you be here? ...D

10-15 for independent contractors seems to be the going rate here. If they do decent work, have experience, and can work unsupervised. Lower side if they insist on being paid cash, higher side if they will accept payment by check.

I hire day labor all the time, mostly 7-10 bucks an hour but one guy gets 15.00, course he can do things on his own and stays busy. Once the word gets out that you want work you will probably be surprised at how many offers you get. A large percentage of people are just plain sorry and lazy so you will probably have less competition than you think.

Fair price around here for some decent workers for some stuff- problem is you have to speak Spanish to explain some things for the hardest workers at best price. The other workers with incentive are coming from the work release jail program- and you take chances with half of them. Know a couple people that used me as references- got mad when I told prospective employer to be careful and watch them with tools so the tools don"t walk off- pointed out they wouldn"t be in jail if they hadn"t been thieves to start. One guy is good worker when sober- you have to pick him up from jail since he can"t legally drive licensed vehicles for next couple years. He beats the junkies that skip off job to get high until deputy collects them to send to state prison for violation of supervision.
Lot of part time employers taking Spanish lessons. RN

With all the regulations and other hoops I have to jump through, and also the possibility of getting sued, I have quit hiring anyone for casual labor. I just do the jobs myself. Occasionally I can get one of my adult children or a grandson to help with something, but mostly I just work alone.

Since $15/hour is almost twice our state's minimum wage, I would say that is pretty generous. It also could be pretty cheap labor, depending on how the guy works. Most people I have ever hired to help me sure weren't worth $10/hour!

You might want to research what licenses you will need to do what you are talking about. In my state, anything that has to do with construction is supposed to be done by a licensed contractor, although I am sure a bunch of people do not comply. I don't know what the penalty might be though.

I also would check into what you need to be covered by insurance, both for your liability and also if you get hurt on the job. The cost of such coverage might SCARE you. But not having coverage might also be a really bad decision...as some people might not hire you without insurance, and if something went really bad with a job and what you did caused damage or worse, a liability suit could bankrupt you. It might not hurt to check with your lawyer, to see what he thinks about your plans.

Since you are 62 and newly retired, I assume you are getting Social Security. You probably will want to consider the rules that SS has about how much you can earn after retiring. If you earn too much, they reduce what you get from SS each month.

When I was growing up, my Dad hired people quite often to help with this or that job around the ranch. I sure wouldn't dare do that today. Good luck!

I've been a semi-retired electrician and general handyman for 4 years. I stay as busy as I want to be and sometimes busier than that doing volunteer work. The pay is exactly zero, but I'm doing a lot of good things for our little community. Just another thought. I didn't retire to see how much I could make, I could have stayed working for that.
Paul