Hourly vs Flat Rate: How Handymen Should Price Their Work
Hourly Pricing
Hourly is simple and fair for unknown work. The customer pays for the time it takes. The downside: customers worry about the clock, and fast, skilled techs earn less for being efficient.
Flat-Rate Pricing
Flat rate gives the customer a clear number up front. It rewards efficiency. The risk is underpricing a job that turns out harder than it looked.
Time Blocks
Half-day and full-day blocks sit between the two. The customer knows the price; you know the time. They work especially well for honey-do lists.
The Common Mix
Many handymen use flat rates for well-known jobs (TV mount, faucet swap, ceiling fan), time blocks for lists, and hourly for diagnosing and odd jobs.
Use Your Own Numbers
Logged hours on every job tell you how long each flat-rate job really takes. If a "one-hour" faucet swap averages 1.6 hours, the price needs to go up.
Put It All in One List
Your service list can hold all three types, so any estimate can mix a flat-rate TV mount with an hourly diagnosis.
Keep Reading
Next in this series: How to Price a Honey-Do List. Before that came Handyman Estimate Software: The Complete Guide to Quoting Faster. For the full picture, go back to the handyman estimate software overview.
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