Who are the Best Contract Therapist Staffing Agencies in St. Louis Missouri? (Reviews/Ratings)
For the last couple of years, I have been learning rather quickly about the contract therapist staffing industry. Particularly, the temp therapist staffing we deal with here at Metropolitan Health Staffing Network. During this time, I’ve come across quite a few questions and comments regarding therapists, pricing, availability, and of course, “competition”.
Not being shy to mention who our competitors are, I thought I would help those out that search for the best contract therapist staffing companies in the St. Louis area. And when I say therapists, I do imply physical, occupational, and speech, as well as PTAs and COTAs.
- PEG Therapists.Founded in Columbia, MO and located currently in St. Louis, PEG has been around for over twenty years. Having been entrenched in the St. Louis Metro area for that long, PEG is the name I come across most often, especially in skilled nursing and hospital settings. Those loyal to PEG swear by their ability to help.
- Eclipse HealthCare. Based out of Tulsa, OK, this agency does have a staffing office in the St. Louis area. From second-hand information gathered over the years, it seems their primary presence in the St. Louis area is with home health agencies.
- Supplemental HealthCare. With their corporate office in Park City, UT, Supplemental also has a local office in St. Louis to meet the demands of nursing and allied health. Being a national company, Supplemental receives frequent mentions in my discussions with therapists and facilities in most therapist settings.
- Metropolitan Health Staffing Network. Headquartered in Alton, IL (just across the river from St. Louis), Metropolitan Health Staffing Network has been staffing therapists for just over two years. Experience and relationships not lacking though, as we are a branch of MetroRPh, a temporary pharmacist staffing company serving the St. Louis area for over 25 years.
So there are four companies to consider if you’re looking for contract therapist staffing in the St. Louis, Missouri region. No matter which company you choose, the quality of your experience will be based upon three things:
- Relationship with the staffing agency
- Quality of the therapists
- Availability of the therapists
Hopefully, your agency of choice will be able to deliver the highest level of quality with each of these, and your temporary staffing will be exceptional.
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What are the differences between a W2 Therapist and a 1099 Therapist?
You may have wondered what the differences are between a 1099 contractor and a W-2 employee…and perhaps more importantly, why you might be better off as a 1099 contractor. At Metropolitan Health Staffing Network, we aim to always do what’s best for our contractors, and in this case, the 1099 route is superior. Here’s why:
1099 contractors are afforded the right to pay their own Social Security and Medicare taxes and instead of paying the government weekly, you have the opportunity to pay your taxes either quarterly or annually. Sure, it may sound intimidating to be faced with that burden, but we can help you plan for that…and as you’ll see, the benefits to paying quarterly or annually are pretty clear.The biggest luxury you’ll see as a 1099 contractor is that you’re able to accrue interest on ALL of your paycheck instead of loaning the government money and allowing them to invest that money, and ultimately claim the interest from it. Simply put, if given the opportunity, would you prefer to hang onto your money longer or just loan it to the government so they can make money off of you? It’s kind of a no-brainer, isn’t it? In certain situations, this single tax issue can be a problem for some people, so we’ve designed a program to help you figure your tax payments…but we’ll talk more about that later.
When it comes to advantages of being a 1099 contractor, the benefits don’t stop there. As a 1099 contractor, you can write off EVERY PENNY you spend getting to and from work, maintaining professional licenses, participating in events that allow you to continue in your field, and just about anything you can directly attribute to your career. It may not seem like much, but come tax time, you’ll be pleased at how quickly this can add up.
1099 contractors can also reap rewards when it comes to benefits, as non-W2 employees are afforded choices and flexibility that their W2 counterparts might not be.How nice would it be to be able to pick and choose your benefits rather than be forced to join a corporately sponsored health or life insurance plan as a W-2 employee? This means you won’t be burdened with the employee portion of your own healthcare, which can often be as high as 80 percent of cost. You are also qualified to participate in self-employed programs(SEP) for retirement purposes, which are currently 25 percent or $40,000 (but that changes yearly). These plans allow you to put away many, many times what a traditional 401(k) or other employer-sponsored retirement plan would allow.
In some cases, certain people just aren’t interested in operating as a single-entity 1099 contractor. Don’t worry; there is a plan for you, too. You can incorporate, which means that you will take an annual wage(this is very easy to do if you have QuickBooks or PeachTree), but the rest of your incomeis taxed at a lower corporate rate.
Some people might want to take advantage of the opportunities that exist for 1099 contractors, but want to ensure they still have the money on hand to pay taxes quarterly or yearly. With that in mind, the Metro family of businesses has put together a withholdings plan that allows you to tell us how much of your money to hold (in a non-interest bearing checking account) and we will disburse these funds to you either quarterly or annually. We’re also happy to calculate your taxes for each paycheck and keep you informed as to how much you would need to save in order to meet your tax obligations.
On top of all of this, the Metro family of businesses is proud to partner with Jerry Ehlers at Kiffmeyer Tax Service. Jerry is always willing to help find a tax-status solution tailored to your unique situation and needs. You can reach Jerry at 618-585-3061.
