Working remotely for a US company as a contractor usually pays far more than local employment, even after taxes. Pick your country and role, enter your current salary, and see the real difference in your pocket.
US companies are actively hiring pre-vetted, AI-native European professionals. Join our talent database and we match you when a role fits your profile. It is free for candidates.
Join the talent databaseUS companies price remote roles against US salaries, not against your local market. Even when they pay roughly half of what a US employee would cost them, that rate is usually far above local European salaries for the same work. That gap is the whole opportunity: the company saves money by their market, and you earn substantially more by yours.
As a contractor you invoice your client monthly and handle your own taxes at home. In most of the 12 countries in this calculator, a registered self-employed setup pays a lower effective rate than employment does, which widens the gap further. The calculator compares net to net: what lands in your account today as an employee versus what would land in your account as a contractor after typical self-employed taxes in your country.
The employee side takes your gross salary and removes income tax and employee social contributions at your country's typical effective rate. The contractor side takes a realistic full-time monthly rate that US companies pay European professionals for your role, converts it to euros, and removes a typical effective tax for a common self-employed setup in your country. Every input is a slider, so you can rebuild the result on your own numbers.
They are the same mid-band rates we use when placing European professionals with US companies: full-time monthly rates that experienced people actually get for remote work. Juniors land lower, seniors higher, and the sliders let you test any number.
Real trade-off. As a contractor you give up employer-paid leave, notice periods and local unemployment cover, and you carry your own health and pension contributions, which the tax estimate here already reflects. Many contractors keep 2 to 3 months of buffer as their own safety net and still come out far ahead.
Yes, in all 12 countries covered here it is a standard, legal setup: you register as self-employed or through a small company locally, invoice your client, and pay your taxes at home. The right structure differs by country, so confirm the details with a local accountant.
That is what we do. Euro Remote Talent places pre-vetted European professionals with US companies. Join the talent database below, and when a role matches your profile we bring the opportunity to you. It costs you nothing.
Methodology and disclaimer. Employee net figures apply each country's 2026 income tax and employee social contributions at a typical effective rate for professional salaries. Contractor net figures assume a common local self-employed setup at a typical effective total tax, converted at $1 = €0.92. Both are simplified estimates for orientation: real outcomes depend on your exact income, deductions, family situation and legal setup. This tool is informational and is not tax, legal or financial advice. Confirm your numbers with a local accountant.