Security & low voltage
Security Labor Cost Calculator
Prices security labour, where licensing and background requirements shape the workforce.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Hours times crew times rate with materials separated. Two things sit in a security technician's burdened cost that other trades do not carry to the same degree. Alarm and low-voltage installation is licensed in many states, with continuing education and company licensing alongside individual registration. And technicians frequently need background checks and sometimes state registration to work on security systems in occupied premises, which narrows the hiring pool and raises the cost of a replacement.
What moves the number
- Licensing, registration and continuing education requirements.
- Background check and clearance requirements for the work.
- Whether technicians can both install and programme, which is a different skill.
- Service and on-call commitments, which carry standby cost.
Where this one goes wrong
A technician who can pull cable and one who can commission a system are different people and sometimes different rates, and treating them as interchangeable underprices the programming side. The licensing and background requirements also make hiring slower and turnover more expensive than in a general trade, which belongs in the rate rather than being absorbed. On service, customers with monitored systems expect a response when something fails, and carrying that capability is a cost whether or not it is used in a given week.
Before you quote
- Separate cabling labour from commissioning and programming rates.
- Carry licensing, continuing education and background check costs in the rate.
- Price service and on-call capability rather than absorbing it.
Questions
About this calculator
Why do security technicians cost more than general low-voltage installers?
Licensing, continuing education, and frequently background checks or state registration to work on security systems in occupied premises. Those narrow the hiring pool and make replacement expensive, which belongs in the burdened rate rather than being absorbed into margin.
Is installing and programming the same skill?
No, and treating them as one underprices the programming. Pulling cable neatly and configuring zones, users, timings and monitoring reporting are different capabilities, often different people, and sometimes different rates. A quote that assumes one rate for both usually squeezes the commissioning.
Should service calls be priced separately?
The capability should be priced somewhere. Customers with monitored systems expect a response when a device fails, and carrying technicians able to provide that is a cost in weeks when nobody calls. Building it into the rate or charging it explicitly both work; absorbing it does not.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
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How to use this calculator
- Hours on site (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 8 h.
- People needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $115.
- Parts and materials ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $900.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on site | 8 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $115 |
| Parts and materials | $900 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $1,915 |
| Labour | $920 |
| Before tax | $1,915 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $1,915: $920 of labour, $900 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only labour rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Labour rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $58 | $1,459 |
| $86 | $1,683 |
| $115 example above | $1,915 |
| $173 | $2,379 |
| $230 | $2,835 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 8 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $115.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $900.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.