Plumber hourly rate calculator
What you charge per hour has to cover the hours nobody pays for: the drive, the quote, the trip to the supply house. Put in your own numbers.
The first two fields are what the work has to bring in over a year: what you pay yourself and what the business costs to run. The last three are the hours a customer pays for. Divide one by the other and you have the rate that covers your year; the profit field adds to it. "Without profit" shows the rate at which the year comes out even.
Without profit: $ —
This is an example to calculate from. You set your own price.
Plumbing job price calculator
$89 + 1 × $120
This is an example to calculate from. You set your own price.
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How to price plumbing jobs
A plumbing price has three parts: the visit, the time and the parts. Decide each one once and write it down. The visit is the service call. The time is your hourly rate, or a flat price that already has the time in it. The parts are what you paid plus whatever you add for finding, carrying and standing behind them. The two calculators above do that arithmetic; the price list below is where the answers go.
Plumbing price list
These are the starting prices OnsiteBoard gives a new plumbing account. Change any of them for your area.
| Service | Starting price |
|---|---|
| Service call | $89 |
| Water heater diagnostic and repair | $185 |
| Drain cleaning: sink, tub or shower | $175 |
| Main line cleaning | $295 |
| Sewer camera inspection | $299 |
| Toilet repair: fill valve, flapper, wax ring | $165 |
| Toilet install | $325 |
| Faucet replacement | $225 |
| Garbage disposal install | $295 |
| Shut-off valve replacement | $195 |
| Hose bib replacement | $175 |
| Pressure reducing valve replacement | $450 |
| Leak detection | $250 |
| Water heater install: 40/50 gal tank | $1,450 |
| Tankless water heater descale | $225 |
| Plumbing labor | $120 / hr |
Plumbing flat rate pricing or by the hour
A flat price tells the customer the number before you pick up a wrench, and it pays you for getting faster. It suits the jobs you do every week and can see in full: a toilet install, a faucet replacement, a disposal. An hourly rate suits the jobs where you cannot know what is behind the wall or under the slab until you open it. Many plumbers use both: flat prices for the list, an hourly rate for everything that is not on it. Say on the estimate which one the customer is looking at.
A plumbing price book for the jobs you do every week
A price book is a list of your common jobs, each with one price. To build it, take a job, write down the hours it usually takes you, multiply by your hourly rate, add the parts with your markup, and round to a number you are happy to say out loud. Do that for fifteen or twenty jobs and most calls can be quoted on the spot. Look at the list again when your costs change, and when a job keeps taking longer than its price allows.
The service call
A service call is a set amount for coming out and finding the problem. It keeps a short visit from costing you the drive. Some plumbers charge it on every visit; some take it off the bill when the customer goes ahead with the repair. Either is fine as long as the customer hears it on the phone and sees it as its own line on the estimate and the invoice.
Parts and markup
Buying a part is work: the trip, the wait at the counter, the return if it is wrong. Many plumbers add a percentage to what they paid for parts to cover that time. Whatever you decide, show parts on their own lines, one part per line, so nothing hides inside labor and the customer can see what went into the house.
Plumbing price questions
Should I charge flat rate or by the hour?
What is a service call fee?
Do I mark up parts?
How many of my hours does a customer pay for?
What is a plumbing price book?
This is general information, not tax or legal advice.
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