CzechDevUSA

What do US companies actually pay a senior developer like you?

Every week a senior dev in Prague or Bratislava asks me this, and every week they get the same useless answer: "aim for 150k." Here is the honest version, with the real band numbers most advice hides from you.

There is no single number, and that is the first thing nobody tells you

The gap between an average strong senior on a US contract and a top one is enormous. Collapse it into one optimistic figure and you either feel underpaid or you overreach and price yourself out. The real picture has bands, and which one you land in is not about years of experience.

Five things move you between the bands

Clean sole-proprietor invoicing with fast payment rails
Proof you work async with no daily hand-holding
Niche depth that solves an expensive problem, not generic full-stack
Any past US or high-trust client work you can point at
How much compliance risk you take off the company's plate

And the public numbers lie for boring reasons. Platform averages blend US and non-US contractors and show posted rates, not closed deals. Most success stories are full-time conversions or have a middleman skimming 20 to 40 percent. Timezone friction is a real discount unless you offset it with something they cannot easily get.

The actual band numbers

Enter your email and I will show you the three real bands right here, then send you the full notes plus a one-page checklist to evaluate any offer you get.

Here are the real bands

Direct contract with a US company, no agency taking a cut. Ranges on purpose. Anyone who hands you one confident number is selling you something.

The full notes, including the why-the-numbers-mislead breakdown and the 10-point offer checklist, are on their way to your inbox now.

Want to know which band you actually sit in? Run the free Honest CV Check →

CzechDevUSA places senior Czech and Slovak developers directly with US tech companies. Home