How much should
I charge?
Enter your real costs. Get a real number. See how you stack up against other contractors in your trade and region.
Your trade and location
What do you want to take home?
What you want to pay yourself before taxes
Industry healthy range: 8-15%
Your team
Labor burden (auto-filled for your trade)
Your annual overhead costs
Pre-filled with typical costs for your trade. Adjust to match your actual numbers.
Billable hours
Most solo contractors bill 1,000-1,400 hours out of 2,080 total work hours. The rest goes to driving, estimating, admin, and callbacks.
Where does the time go?
Your minimum hourly rate
This is what you need to charge to cover all costs, pay yourself, and hit your profit target.
Cost breakdown (annual)
Quick reference rates
How you compare to the market
Common job prices for your trade
National averages. Adjust for your region using the multiplier shown.
| Job | Low | High | Your region |
|---|
Regional adjustment: 1.00x. Sources: Angi, HomeAdvisor, Housecall Pro cost guides.
Flat rate vs hourly: which makes you more?
Plug in a typical job to see which pricing model puts more money in your pocket.
How long did it really take?
Most flat-rate books: 20-50%
Hourly pricing
customer pays
Flat rate pricing
customer pays
Annual impact
Hourly annual revenue
Flat rate annual revenue
Know your rate. Win more jobs.
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Average billable hours per year for a solo contractor (out of 2,080 total)
Net profit margin range for a healthy home service business
Cost to use this calculator. Forever. No account needed.
Disclaimer: This calculator is for informational purposes only. Results are estimates based on the inputs you provide and industry averages. Actual costs and revenue may vary based on your market, business model, and other factors. Consult with a financial professional for specific business decisions.
Last updated: May 2026
Frequently asked questions
How does this calculator work? +
It adds up everything it costs to run your business (your salary, employees, insurance, vehicle, tools, marketing, office costs), adds your target profit margin on top, then divides by your actual billable hours. The result is the minimum hourly rate you need to charge to stay profitable. It also adjusts for your state and market type using regional cost-of-living data.
Where does the benchmark data come from? +
Rate ranges come from Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, Angi and HomeAdvisor cost guides, Housecall Pro pricing guides, and trade association surveys (PHCC, ACCA, NECA, NRCA). Regional multipliers are derived from BEA Regional Price Parities. Insurance cost benchmarks are from Insureon. All sources are publicly available and listed in the data set.
Should I charge hourly or flat rate? +
Most residential service trades are moving toward flat-rate pricing because customers prefer knowing the price upfront. But you still need to know your hourly rate. Your flat-rate prices should be based on: (estimated hours x your hourly rate) + materials + markup. Knowing your true cost per hour is the foundation of any pricing model.
Why are my billable hours so low? +
A full-time year is 2,080 hours, but a solo contractor typically only bills 1,000-1,400 of those. The rest goes to driving between jobs, writing estimates, answering the phone, invoicing, material runs, callbacks, training, and inevitable gaps between jobs. This is normal. The mistake is pricing as if you'll bill 2,080 hours. You won't.
Is my data saved or shared? +
No. Everything runs in your browser. Your numbers are never sent to any server. We don't track what you enter. Close the tab and it's gone.