re: How much should I request when moving from contractor to full-time employee?

It is actually not uncommon for your pay to go down when you take a full time role, this is especially true in Software Engineering roles. A person could me making $80-$100 per hour as a contractor, but when they go salaried, they don't come close to that hourly rate. Full time employees cost the company a lot more when you add benefits (vacation days, health insurance, stock options, bonuses, 401(K) matching and other perks). Sometimes the benefits add up to as much as your base salary itself.