Transcription Jobs

How much do I get paid as a Transcriptionist?

This is the first and most frequently asked question. So let us get typist rates out of the way first!

The average per-minute rate for transcribing is $1.23/minute of recording, with the highest rate at $3.03/minute and the lowest at $0.71/minute (actual figures from May 2022). The reason one rate might be high and another low depends on how much the client was charged, which flows onto the rates to the contractor, with fast turnaround and more time-consuming projects getting higher rates and slower turnarounds and more straightforward projects getting lower rates. You will end up doing a range of rates and projects, so focus on the average rate as the best indication.

We are commonly seen as paying the highest or near the highest rates in the US. The bottom line is that we are not here to take advantage of anyone or short-change transcriptionists. This is a long-term business relationship we are forming. We pay well. We pay fairly.


How do I get paid as a Transcriptionist?

Contractors email us an invoice detailing projects completed, once every two weeks. We compare your invoice to our records, and usually, within 14 days, the payment will be in your bank account (US-based only). We treat our contractors as business owners, so it might be a little bit more formal than you are used to (more on that below). As a side note, for a long time, we had a “once-a-month” invoicing system. As can be expected our team never really liked waiting this long to get paid (who does!), so we changed to an invoicing every two weeks system mid-2022. There was some clapping.

How do I get a Transcription Job?

First off – this is a contracting opportunity to do various projects, not a job with a boss in charge of payroll. We treat transcription contractors as business people from whom we buy typing services. You are offering a service and we buy it from you. We do not treat transcriptionists as employees, part-time employees, or something in between. You are a business owner – and we are your client, not your boss. We come to you with transcription projects. You can accept or decline to do those projects – negotiate timelines and rates.

We realize, that not every transcription service treats its contractors like business owners. For some of our contractors, it is tough to shift from employee mode to business owner mode. Do take your time with this, especially if you are coming from an employee situation.

Being a business owner is a lot more freedom – but quite different responsibilities. For example, if we are unhappy with the services you provide, we will stop buying services from you. We are not going to retrain you, so your transcript quality goes up or enter into long discussions about your motivation and job enjoyment, so you reply to emails we send you. We expect you to be an expert professional who understands they are a business owner with clients, not an employee with a boss. For some people reading this, this is just a normal business relationship being formed; for others, it will seem new. If these ideas do seem ‘new’, please slow down and ask yourself if this is a good fit before filling in an application form.

When will I know if my application has been successful?


We get about ten applications a week. So do be patient with us. Please do not email/call or live chat with the Project Manager – they are pretty busy with clients, and HR is not their role. They are going to refer you back to this page and this process. If you need career advice – then contact Andrew via the contact us page, leave a phone number and he will try and get back to you ASAP.

We review applications every 30 days. If you make it to the next stage, we will contact you for a quick test and a phone interview. Please include as much info as possible on the application. Good Luck!

Transcription Application Form

USA Tax Resident(Required)
Invoice Address – State Tax(Required)
Some states have quite complex Independent Contractor requirements that for a small business become quite difficult to manage. Others do not. We cannot work with Independent Contractors from the following states – Alaska, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, or West Virginia.
Name
Yes. As strange as it might seem these days, we do want to talk with you before we send you a project. We are not going to send projects to people we have not talked with.
We like to see the depth of experience you are bringing. The less info you supply, the less we have to go on, and the harder it will be to make a decision on your suitability.
Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, Max. file size: 5 GB.
First Language(Required)

References: Verification of Experience(Required)
If needed at a later stage, could you provide contact details of employers or clients who could verify your work experience and work quality? If you progress, we will be calling your references before we give you any work.

How many hours of recording have you transcribed in total over your career?*

How many hours of recording a week can you roughly commit to transcribing?*
Based on clear, one-to-one recordings – no tricky extras, or extra time requirements etc. NOTE: There is often confusion with this, this is the length of the recording NOT the time you take to type it e.g. a 3-hour recording might take 9 hours to transcribe etc. depending on your speed etc.

Of this total amount of transcribed audio, what percentage roughly was as a freelance Transcriptionist?
Please paste links to any places you advertise your services. Websites, noticeboards etc. Or links to sites you commonly find transcription projects. This helps us determine your level of experience.
How many hours of groups (3 or more people talking) have you transcribed?(Required)

How many hours of "poor quality" recordings have you transcribed?(Required)

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.