How to Hire a Dedicated Developer, Step by Step
Last updated . Wage, tax and DeskTeam360 facts were checked September 25, 2026. Hourly rates were checked October 1, 2026.
A dedicated developer is one person who works only on your projects. To hire one, list the work, pick a provider or hire directly, test with one paid task, and get ownership in writing. As your employee, a Florida computer programmer at the median wage costs $100,539.27 a year in wages and employer taxes, before benefits. Through a provider, you pay the provider's price instead, and the provider handles the hiring.
This page is a plain reading of the rules. It isn't legal or tax advice.
How do you hire a dedicated developer?
Follow these steps in order. Each one heads off a problem that's hard to fix later.
- List the work. Write down every web job from last month. Small ones count too. That shows if you need a full-time person.
- Pick the setup. Hire an employee, or get a dedicated developer through a provider.
- Check the worker type. The IRS looks at control and independence. In Florida, calling an employee a contractor on purpose is a felony.
- Vet the provider, if you use one. The checklist is in the next section.
- Run a paid test task. Keep it small and real. Watch how the person asks questions.
- Sign for ownership. Put who owns the work in writing before it starts. The step-by-step guide explains who owns the work.
- Keep the accounts in your name. That means hosting, domain, code storage and logins. Give the developer their own access.
For developers who work from a distance, see hire remote developers. For WordPress skills, see hire a WordPress developer.
What should you look for in a dedicated developer provider?
Look for a provider that keeps the same person on your work, replaces them fast if they leave, and puts ownership and terms in writing. Use this checklist:
| Ask the provider | Why it matters | What DeskTeam360 publishes |
|---|---|---|
| Will the same person work on my projects every month? | That's what "dedicated" means | The same people every month |
| What happens if my developer leaves? | You shouldn't have to start over | Ask any provider |
| Who manages the work and checks it? | Otherwise you're the manager | A North American account manager checks the work before you see it |
| What hours overlap with mine? | You need time to talk each day | Ask any provider |
| Who owns the code? | Ownership needs a signed agreement | Ask any provider, and get it in writing |
| How many changes are included? | Feedback rounds add up | Unlimited revisions on every plan |
| How long is the contract? | You want a way out | No contracts. Month to month |
| Is there a guarantee? | It lowers your risk at the start | "30-day money-back guarantee" |
What does a dedicated web developer cost?
As your employee, a dedicated developer costs a full salary plus employer taxes, with benefits on top. BLS doesn't publish a Florida web developer wage, so a Florida computer programmer is the closest stand-in.
| Cost for one year (BLS 2025 wages, 2026 tax rules) | Florida programmer | US programmer |
|---|---|---|
| Median wage | $93,180 | $100,390 |
| Wage plus employer taxes, before benefits | $100,539.27 | $108,111.84, plus that state's unemployment tax |
| A month | $8,378.27 | $9,009.32, plus state tax |
For the whole US, the median web developer wage is $92,650 a year, or $44.54 an hour.
Benefits come on top. On a national average, benefits beyond the required ones add about 35.9 cents per wage dollar. For the Florida programmer, that's about $33,446 a year. The full cost of a web hire has every line of the math.
Through a provider, you pay the provider's price. DeskTeam360's plans are $1,497, $2,994, or $4,491 a month for 1, 2, or 3 tasks at a time, as published September 2026. A plan isn't one full-time person. It's a team working on 1, 2, or 3 tasks at a time.
The paperwork depends on who you pay:
- An employee in Florida. Report the new hire within 20 days. New employers pay 2.7% reemployment tax on the first $7,000 of wages. That's $189 a worker.
- One person as a contractor. Florida requires a report once you pay them $600 or more in a year. It's due within 20 days of the first payment or the contract date, whichever is first.
- The federal 1099-NEC. This is a separate rule. For 2026 payments, you file one for a non-employee you pay $2,000 or more. Payments to a corporation generally don't need one. The IRS lists some exceptions.
To talk through which setup fits your agency, you can book a call with DeskTeam360.
The button opens DeskTeam360's Book a Call page.
Dedicated developer or freelance web developer?
A dedicated developer fits steady work that needs the same person every week. A freelance web developer fits a one-off job or overflow.
| Dedicated developer (your employee) | Dedicated developer (through a provider) | Freelance web developer (hourly) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you pay | A salary, plus employer taxes and benefits | The provider's price | A rate the person sets. Upwork lists $15 to $50 an hour. ZipRecruiter puts the average at about $45.12 (October 2026) |
| Same person every week | Yes | Yes, if the provider promises it | Not always |
| Who manages the work | You | The provider, or you. Ask | You |
| Paperwork | Payroll and new hire report | Depends on how the provider is set up. Ask | Contractor report and 1099-NEC |
Need more than one person? A whole dedicated development team works the same way at a larger scale.
"We have been very happy with the support DeskTeam360 provides. They are quick to respond to requests and their team has the breadth of experience we need to keep things moving."
Stu Swineford (Trustpilot review)
More on hiring developers
A call is how you find out whether your agency's web work needs one person or a team.
The button opens DeskTeam360's Book a Call page, where you pick a time.
Sources
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Computer programmers wages (OEWS)
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Web developers wages (OEWS)
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation
- IRS, Topic 751, Social Security and Medicare and Topic 759, federal unemployment tax, used in the hire math
- IRS, Independent contractor or employee?
- IRS, Instructions for Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC
- Florida Statutes 2026, section 409.2576
- Florida Department of Revenue, Reemployment tax
- Florida Department of Revenue, Employee or independent contractor
- Upwork, Web developer cost
- ZipRecruiter, Freelance web developer salary
- DeskTeam360, Home and pricing (deskteam360.com)
- DeskTeam360, About (deskteam360.com/about)
- Trustpilot, DeskTeam360 reviews
Hourly rates checked October 1, 2026. Other sources checked September 25, 2026. This site isn't connected to the State of Florida or any other government agency.
What changed
- October 1, 2026: First version of this page.
- October 1, 2026: Round 2 rewrite. Added a checklist for picking a provider and a cost table. Shortened long sentences. The remote developer section moved to its own post.