Ask ten handymen what they charge and you will hear ten numbers between $50 and $150 an hour. The right number for you is not the one your competitor uses. It is the one that pays you, your truck, your insurance and your taxes, for the hours you can actually bill.
Start from what you want to earn
Say you want to take home $75,000 a year. Add what the business costs to run:
- Truck: payment, fuel, insurance and repairs, about $8,000 a year
- General liability insurance: about $1,200
- Tools and replacements: about $2,000
- Phone, website, software and marketing: about $2,400
- Licenses, accounting and fees: about $1,400
- Self-employment tax: about $10,500 on that pay
That is roughly $100,500 a year the business has to bring in.
Count only the hours you can bill
You will not bill 40 hours a week. Driving between jobs, buying parts, quoting, invoicing and returning calls eat a third of your day or more. Most solo handymen bill 22 to 28 hours a week. Over 48 working weeks, 25 hours a week is 1,200 billable hours.
$100,500 divided by 1,200 hours is about $84 an hour. That is your floor, not your target. If your area supports $95, charge $95.
Charge more for the first hour
A 30-minute job is never 30 minutes. It is 25 minutes of driving, 10 minutes of setup, the job, cleanup and the drive to the next one. If you charge a flat $85 an hour with no minimum, a quick fix pays you $43 for an hour and a half of your day.
That is why most handymen use a first-hour price or a minimum charge:
- First hour: $110 to $150, which covers the trip and setup
- Each hour after: $75 to $100, billed in half hours
- Minimum: the first hour, even if the job takes 20 minutes
With $125 for the first hour and $85 after, a two-hour visit is $210 and a four-hour visit is $380.
Offer half days and full days
Customers with a list of ten small things love a block price, and you love a full day in one driveway with no driving:
- Half day (4 hours): for example $340, a small discount from $380
- Full day (8 hours): for example $640 to $680
Ask for the list ahead of time so you bring the right parts. Block days are the most profitable days a handyman has because there is no drive time inside them.
When to price per task
For jobs you do every week, a flat price is easier for the customer and often better for you. You know a TV mount takes you 50 minutes; the customer sees "$129 per TV" and books. If you get faster, you keep the difference. Keep a price list for your common jobs: TV mounting, drywall patches, furniture assembly, door adjustments, fixture swaps. Our handyman prices for common jobs has typical ranges.
Materials and add-ons
- Materials: charge cost plus 15 to 25 percent, or have the customer buy them
- Materials pickup: a flat $35 to $50 for the trip to the store
- Same-day visit: $50 to $100 on top, because it rearranges your day
- Haul-away: $40 to $75 for old fixtures, boxes and debris
Put these on your website and in your quotes. Customers pick them on their own when they see them.
Common pricing mistakes
- Matching the cheapest handyman on Google. They may not carry insurance, pay taxes or plan to be around next year
- Not charging for the parts run. A 40-minute trip to the store is 40 minutes you cannot bill to anyone else
- Rounding hours down to be nice. Bill in half hours and say so up front
- Giving a fixed price for a job you cannot see. Behind walls and under sinks, quote by the hour with a range
Raising your rate
If you are booked two weeks out, your rate is too low. Raise it $10 an hour for new customers first. Most of your regulars will not blink, because finding a reliable handyman is harder than paying $10 more.
Put the numbers where customers see them
Rates that live only in your head turn every call into a negotiation. A handyman estimating calculator on your site shows your first hour, your hourly rate and your job prices before they call, so the call is about when, not how much. You can try the handyman cost calculator to see how it looks.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good hourly rate for a handyman?
Most US handymen charge $65 to $125 an hour. Work out your own floor from your costs and billable hours; for a solo owner who wants $75,000 a year it is usually around $85.
Should a handyman have a minimum charge?
Yes. A one-hour minimum or a higher first-hour price covers the drive and setup that every job needs, even a 15-minute one.
How much should a handyman charge for a full day?
Many charge 8 hours at a small discount, for example $640 to $680 at an $85 rate. A full day in one house has no drive time, so it is still your best paying day.