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Plumbing

Plumbing Labour Rate Calculator

What you pay a plumber is only part of what a plumber costs. Work out the rate that covers burden, overhead and the margin you want to keep.

Your numbers

$
%
Taxes, workers' comp, insurance, benefits and paid time off.
$
plumbers
hrs
%

Result

Hourly rate to charge $104.31
True cost per billable hour $83.44
Burdened wage $39
Overhead per billable hour $44.44
Your true cost per billable hour is $83.44. To hold a 20% margin, bill $104.31 an hour.

Emergency and after-hours work should carry a premium on top of this rate. It costs more in overtime, and it is worth more to the customer.

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Questions

About this calculator

How is this different from what I currently charge?

Most plumbing businesses set their rate by looking at competitors. This works from the inside out: your costs, your overhead, your target margin. If the two numbers are far apart, one of them is wrong.

What if my rate comes out above the local market?

That usually means overhead is too high for your billable volume, or billable hours are lower than they should be. Both are fixable, and both are more useful to know than to ignore.

Do apprentices need a separate rate?

Yes. Run the calculator once per pay grade, since burdened wage and billable hours both differ significantly between an apprentice and a licensed plumber.

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Charge properly, then answer every call

A correct rate on the jobs you never hear about is worth nothing. See how emergency calls get captured.