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Service job price calculator

Turn a technician's wage, your payroll burden, overhead and target margin into a job price you can defend. Built for HVAC, plumbing, pool, pest control, locksmith and other field-service businesses — and for clinics that price treatments the same way.

1 · True labor cost

Loaded labor cost: $39.20/hour

2 · Overhead per billable hour

Overhead per billable hour: $40.91/hour

3 · This job

How to use it

  1. 1

    Enter the wage and payroll burden

    Start with what you pay the technician per hour. Add payroll taxes, workers' compensation, benefits, paid time off and training as a percentage; 30–50% is normal. The result is the loaded labor cost, the real cost of an hour of that person's time.

  2. 2

    Spread overhead over billable hours

    Total your monthly fixed costs (rent, vehicles, insurance, software, phone, marketing, admin wages and your own salary) and divide by the hours you actually invoice in a month, not the hours worked. Drive time, quoting and callbacks are not billable, which is why most shops bill only 50–65% of paid hours.

  3. 3

    Add this job's hours and materials

    Enter labor hours and the cost of parts. Mark materials up 25–50% to cover procurement, stocking, warranty and returns.

  4. 4

    Set the margin and read the price

    Total cost divided by (1 − target margin) is the price. A 20% margin on a $600 cost job is $750, not $720. The panel also shows your break-even rate per labor hour, the number you must never quote below.

Read the method behind this tool: How to price service jobs for profit.

Job Price Calculator FAQ

What is a good hourly rate for a service business?

There is no universal number; the right rate is your loaded labor cost plus overhead per billable hour, divided by one minus your margin. A $28/hour technician usually costs $38–42 loaded and $75–95 with overhead, which is why $60/hour flat pricing loses money even when the schedule is full.

Should I price hourly or flat-rate?

Flat-rate pricing built from this cost method is usually better for residential service: the customer gets a number up front and you are paid for efficiency. Hourly suits open-ended diagnostic or commercial work. Either way, the arithmetic underneath is the same.

What margin should I target?

Net margins of 15–25% are typical for well-run trades and clinics. Below 10% usually means overhead is not being recovered, not that the business is efficient.

Does the calculator save my numbers?

Yes, in your own browser only (local storage), so your wage and overhead figures are still there next time. Nothing is sent to us. Use Reset to clear them.

Is this the same as the Chrome extension?

Yes. The Service Business Toolkit extension puts this calculator, the paperwork checklist and the no-show estimator one click from your address bar. The web version works anywhere without installing anything.