ServiceBusiness101

What to charge

Typical rates across 20 service trades, and what to add before you quote. Pick yours.

Before you look at any number

Your rate is not your pay.

Roughly a third of every hour you bill goes to self-employment tax, card fees, drive time, supplies and insurance. A $40 rate leaves you closer to $27. Whatever number you land on below, build those in before you say it out loud.

Typical US rates, compiled ranges as of August 2026 — a starting point, not a quote
TradeTypical rateGuide
House cleaning$38–52/hrWhat to charge for house cleaning
Lawn care$45–70 per cutWhat to charge for lawn care
Handyman$60–95/hrWhat a handyman should charge
Pressure washing$0.20–0.45/sq ftWhat to charge for pressure washing
Landscaping$55–85/hrComing soon
HVAC$85–150/hrComing soon
Plumbing$90–160/hrComing soon
Electrical$85–145/hrComing soon
Carpet cleaning$35–60 per roomComing soon
Window cleaning$8–15 per windowComing soon
Junk removal$150–450 per loadComing soon
Tree service$400–1,800 per treeComing soon
Pest control$85–140 per visitComing soon
Roofing$4–8/sq ftComing soon
Appliance repair$85–160 per callComing soon
Flooring$3–8/sq ftComing soon
Snow removal$40–90 per pushComing soon
Chimney sweep$150–350 per jobComing soon
Dumpster rental$300–650 per weekComing soon
Septic pumping$350–700 per tankComing soon

The four rules that apply to every trade on this list

  • Never quote a firm price sight unseen. Give a range, then confirm when you see the job. "That's my range for a standard job — I'll confirm the number when I look at it" costs you nothing and saves you a six-hour day at four-hour pay.
  • Price the first job separately. First cleans, first cuts, first visits almost always take longer than the ones after. Charging your recurring rate for the first one means working your hardest day for your worst hourly.
  • Set a minimum. If the drive is 25 minutes each way, no job under two hours makes sense. Most established operators set a 2-hour or flat minimum and hold it.
  • Don't start cheap to win the first ten customers. Those ten are the hardest people you will ever raise a price on. Two years later they're still paying 2022 rates while new customers pay current ones.

Why the ranges are wide

A house clean that's $145 in Tulsa is $210 in Denver for the same square footage and the same three hours. It isn't that Denver cleaners are better — it's that their rent, their insurance and their competitors' prices are all higher.

Use the range as a sanity check, not a price list. Then call three competitors in your own town, ask what they'd charge for a standard job, and price in the middle of what you hear. That number beats any national average.

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