[jordinl]

I would say one of the benefits of hiring somebody remotely is that the employer doesn't need to care about 401K and health insurance. The company pays the worker a salary and the remote worker takes care of their own taxes, pension and health care. The downside is that the remote worker is a contractor and not a real employee.

[exolymph]

If you're not providing and handling benefits, you need to pay a higher salary. But maybe still lower than you'd pay a normal contractor? Rule of thumb for contractors is generally 2x equivalent W2 salary, right? I assume that multiple doesn't hold up for remote employees who are classed as contractors legally but don't have all the business development expenses of a normal contractor.