The money, and what is taken out of it
Rate against wage, what is deducted and what is not, when you are paid and what you are carrying yourself.
Is this rate actually better than the salary was?
Only what happensWhat is being taken out before I see it?
The law where you areWhen exactly am I paid, and what if they are late?
What you signedWhat am I supposed to be putting aside?
The law where you areFour questions a person in this position actually asks. Every one of them has somewhere to look, which is not the same as having an answer. The first of these is arithmetic almost nobody does before accepting.
A Rate Is Not a Wage
The two numbers describe different things, and a rate compared directly against a salary will always look larger than it is.
The Arithmetic of Your Own Year
This is the one calculation here you can do today without asking anybody, and it depends only on your own year rather than on any rule anywhere.
What Is Taken Out Before You See It
Whether anything is withheld on your behalf, and by whom, follows from your category and your jurisdiction rather than from the size of the figure.
What Nobody Is Putting Aside for You
The money that would have been contributed on your behalf does not disappear when you change category: it becomes something you do or do not do.
When You Are Paid, and What If They Are Late
A payment date is a term you agree before starting, and an arrangement with no stated date leaves you with whatever your jurisdiction provides generally.
Expenses, Equipment and What You Are Funding
Everything you provide yourself comes out of the rate, and a long list of small items quietly moves a figure that looked generous.
Asking for More
A rate held flat for three years is falling, and neither side has a reason to raise it until somebody decides to.
The Month With Nothing In It
An empty month is a normal feature of this arrangement rather than a failure, and whether it is survivable is decided long before it arrives.