[sleight42]

It's simpler than this or the post describes.

Every "benefit" has an associated dollar value. That's it. Total them up.

Oddly, salary is a holy cow whereas beenefits are not.

Having worked as an "employee" for 13 years before going freelance, the trend I see is this: employers generally feel its AOK to reduce/remove/substitute lesser benefits to save them money. The same cannot be said for salary reductions.

This is a large part of what led me to go freelance. I control my benefits. I negotiate my rate. I get paid based on those and how hard I work.

At the end of the day, it's still a lot like being an employee but, for me, with far less a feeling of being victimized.