Handyman Rate Calculator

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Handyman Rate Calculator

Rent, groceries, health insurance, etc.
Fuel, tools, insurance, marketing.
Savings and business growth funds.
Actual time spent on-site doing work.

Recommended Pricing Structure

Hourly Rate
$0.00
Daily Rate (8 hrs)
$0.00
Monthly Gross Income
$0.00
function calculateHandymanRate() { var personal = parseFloat(document.getElementById('personalExpenses').value) || 0; var overhead = parseFloat(document.getElementById('businessOverhead').value) || 0; var profit = parseFloat(document.getElementById('targetProfit').value) || 0; var hoursPerWeek = parseFloat(document.getElementById('billableHours').value) || 0; if (hoursPerWeek <= 0) { alert("Please enter a valid number of billable hours."); return; } var totalMonthlyNeeded = personal + overhead + profit; var totalMonthlyHours = hoursPerWeek * 4.33; // Average weeks in a month var hourlyRate = totalMonthlyNeeded / totalMonthlyHours; var dailyRate = hourlyRate * 8; var grossMonthly = hourlyRate * totalMonthlyHours; document.getElementById('hourlyResult').innerText = '$' + hourlyRate.toFixed(2); document.getElementById('dailyResult').innerText = '$' + dailyRate.toFixed(2); document.getElementById('monthlyResult').innerText = '$' + grossMonthly.toFixed(2).replace(/\B(?=(\d{3})+(?!\d))/g, ","); document.getElementById('results-area').style.display = 'block'; }

Understanding the Handyman Rate Calculation

Setting the right price for your handyman services is the difference between running a sustainable business and struggling to make ends meet. Many contractors make the mistake of looking at what competitors charge and matching them, without considering their own unique costs and billable capacity.

Key Components of Your Rate

  • Personal Expenses: This is what you need to take home to live. It includes your housing, food, taxes, and personal lifestyle.
  • Business Overheads: These are the hidden costs of being in business. Fuel, vehicle maintenance, liability insurance, tool replacement, and software subscriptions belong here.
  • Target Profit: Your rate shouldn't just cover your bills. Profit is the extra money used to grow the business, buy a new truck eventually, or save for retirement.
  • Billable Hours: As a handyman, you aren't paid for every hour you "work." Driving to jobs, writing quotes, and buying materials are "non-billable." Most solo handymen only have 20-30 billable hours per week.

Example Pricing Calculation

If your combined monthly expenses (personal + business) are $4,000 and you want a $1,000 profit margin, you need $5,000 in gross income. If you can only bill for 25 hours per week (approx. 108 hours per month), your math looks like this:

$5,000 / 108 hours = $46.30 per hour.

Always remember to factor in self-employment taxes (which vary by region) when setting your final "take home" goals in the personal expenses section.

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