Handyman prices: hourly or by the task, from your own cost per hour
Price an hourly call, a ceiling fan, a drywall patch, a TV mount or a faucet swap from what your time actually costs, your drive time, parts and margin — then see where you land against typical handyman prices.
Every other handyman pricing calculator gives you a national average and calls it a price. This one works from your numbers: what your labor actually costs you per hour, how fast you really work, your drive time, your materials and the margin you need. The typical range is shown for context, not as the answer.
What it prices
- General repairs — priced per hour on site; typical customer price $60–$125 per hour
- Ceiling fan or light fixture — priced per fixture; typical customer price $100–$225 each
- Drywall patch under 2 ft — priced per patch; typical customer price $125–$300 each
- TV mount — priced per mount; typical customer price $100–$250 each
- Faucet replacement — priced per faucet; typical customer price $150–$350 each
How to use it
1. Pick the job type and enter the quantity. Square feet, linear feet, panes, loads — whatever that job is sold by.
2. Put in your loaded labor cost. This is what one person costs you per hour including payroll taxes, workers' comp and any benefits — or what you need to pay yourself. It is not the rate you charge. If you have never worked this out, start with the wage and add 25%.
3. Check the production rate. The default is a typical figure per person per hour. Your real number, from your last few jobs, is better.
4. Drive time, setup and minimum charge. Small jobs die on the trip. The calculator pays every crew member for drive time and setup, and applies your minimum if the job comes in under it.
5. Materials, overhead and margin. Materials at cost plus your markup; overhead per billable hour (monthly overhead ÷ hours you actually bill); the net margin you want on the job.
Handyman pricing: what actually moves the number
The minimum charge is your most important number. Handyman work is small jobs, and small jobs are mostly driving. Most solo operators hold a two-hour or $125–$175 minimum and bundle: "while I'm there" is how a $150 call becomes a $400 day.
Hourly versus flat. Hourly is honest and easy but caps your income at your speed; flat-rate by the task rewards experience and is what customers on Reddit keep asking for. Use the hourly figure to build your flat rates, and quote the flat rate.
Your loaded cost is not your wage. Solo, it is what you need to pay yourself plus self-employment tax, health insurance and the truck. A $30 loaded cost with $15 of overhead per hour and a 20% margin comes out at about $56 per billed hour before drive time — which is why $45 an hour is a losing rate for a legitimate business.
Parts. Mark up parts you supply. Customers who buy their own get labor-only pricing and no warranty on the part, and it is worth saying so on the estimate.
Worked example
Three hours of general repairs at a $30 loaded cost with a 30-minute round trip, 30 minutes of setup, $15 per billable hour of overhead, $40 of parts at 20% markup and a 20% margin: the calculator prices it at about $268, or $89 per hour on site, in the middle of the typical range. A single one-hour job on the same terms comes in at $130 — and that is your minimum charge, worked out rather than guessed.
How the math works
- Hours = quantity ÷ production rate, plus setup and drive time for every person on the crew.
- Labor = person-hours × your loaded cost. Overhead = clock hours the job occupies × your overhead per billable hour.
- Price = (labor + materials + fees + overhead) ÷ (1 − margin), plus the material markup. Dividing by (1 − margin) gives a true margin on the sale; multiplying by (1 + margin) does not, and it is the most common pricing mistake in the trades.
- If the result is under your minimum charge, the minimum applies.
Turn it into an estimate
Hit Turn this into an estimate and the price lands in the estimate generator as line items, ready to send. When the customer says yes, the same numbers become the invoice in BIG INVOICE, which works offline with no account. Send it on the handyman estimate template, and see what handymen earn by state.
FAQ
How much should a handyman charge per hour?
$60 to $125 per hour is the typical range, with $75 to $95 the most common for an insured solo operator. Build it from your loaded cost, overhead and margin rather than copying a neighbour — the calculator shows the arithmetic.
What is a fair minimum charge for a handyman?
Most hold a $125 to $175 minimum, or two hours. Below that, drive time and setup eat the job. Bundle small tasks into one visit to get the customer past the minimum without arguing about it.
How much to charge to install a ceiling fan?
$100 to $225 for a swap where wiring exists, $250 to $400 if you are adding a box and switch. Price the fixture install, not the hour — an experienced tech does it in 45 minutes and should be paid for the skill, not the clock.
Should a handyman charge hourly or flat rate?
Flat rate by the task once you know your times. It rewards speed, removes the clock-watching, and is what customers ask for. Use the hourly figure internally to set the flat rates, and revisit them every year.
Does this pricing calculator use my numbers or averages?
Yours. The typical range is shown as context, but the price comes entirely from the labor cost, production rate, materials, overhead and margin you enter. Change any of them and the price changes.
Is this calculator free?
Yes, completely. No account, no email, no download. It runs in your browser and we never see your numbers.