Plumber service call fee calculator
Working out what to charge for a service call? Set your trip charge, hourly rate, time on site and materials to get a ballpark total based on typical plumbing rates. Use it to quote a caller on the spot, sense-check your pricing against the market, and make sure every job covers your time. These are typical figures, not a fixed quote.
Price a service call
What you charge per hour of labour.
How long the job takes, including diagnosis.
Your standard fee just to attend.
Parts and consumables for the job.
A fair price for the job. It only earns it if you are the one who answers the phone.
of urgent callers will not leave a voicemail. They hang up and call the next number.
Hey Jodie answers day and night, including the evenings and weekends people call.
Calls are answered, the job is booked, and the details land in your inbox.
How to price a plumber service call
Most plumbers price a visit from four parts: a trip charge that covers turning up and the first part of the work, an hourly or part-hourly rate for time on site, and the cost of any materials or parts fitted. Add those together and you have the total to quote for the job.
Enter your trip charge, hourly rate, the hours you expect on site, and the cost of materials for the job.
The calculator adds it all up so you can see a fair total to quote, and sense-check it against typical rates.
Use the total to quote on the call, adjusting for how urgent the job is and your own costs.
Save a one-page PDF of the breakdown to send the caller and confirm the booking.
Total = trip charge + (hourly rate x hours) + materials Pricing and winning service call work
Price the job, not just the hour
Your trip charge and hourly rate should swing with the time of day, how urgent the job is and your overhead. A leak at 2am should cost more than a faucet swap booked a week ahead. Some plumbers roll the first hour into the trip charge; others charge it separately - either works as long as you are paid for the trip and the diagnosis. Set your numbers here, check them against the market, and quote a rate that covers your time instead of guessing.
The job goes to whoever answers
For a plumber, the most expensive number is not on this calculator - it is the emergency caller who calls the next plumber when you do not pick up. People with a leak do not leave a voicemail and wait; they call down the list until someone answers. Hey Jodie answers every call 24/7 for trades, even while you are on a job or asleep, takes the details and books the work, so the service call you priced here actually lands with you.
Frequently asked questions
What should I charge for a plumber service call? +
A service call fee usually covers turning up plus the first part of the work. On top of that you charge an hourly rate for time on site and the cost of any parts. Emergency and after-hours service calls are charged higher. Your right number depends on your area, your overhead and how urgent the job is, so use the calculator above to set a total for the specific job and quote from there.
How do I price a service call against my hourly rate? +
Plumber hourly rates run higher in big metro areas and for emergency or after-hours jobs, and specialist or licensed work above that. The trip charge covers the trip and the first part of the work; the hourly rate covers the rest of the time on site. Decide whether the first 30 to 60 minutes is rolled into the trip charge or billed on top, then set both so the job covers your time, tools, insurance and travel and still stays in line with local prices.
Why should I charge a trip charge? +
A trip charge pays for the things that happen before any work starts: travel, gas, the time it takes to get to the job, and diagnosing the problem. It also protects you against wasted trips for jobs that turn out to be tiny or cannot be done. Rolling the first 30 to 60 minutes of work into the trip charge is common, so it is not purely for showing up - it is a fair way to make sure a trip out is always worth your time.
What should I charge for an emergency service call? +
Emergency and after-hours work should be priced higher than a planned visit, because you are dropping everything and often working evenings, nights or weekends. Set a higher trip charge and a higher hourly rate than your daytime figures - sometimes one and a half to two times standard rates. Put the higher numbers into the calculator to get a ballpark you can quote an emergency caller on the spot.
How do I quote a caller quickly? +
Take the job details on the call - what the problem is, how urgent it is, the likely time on site and any parts - drop your trip charge, hourly rate, hours and materials into the calculator, and read off a total you can give there and then. Quoting on the first call is how you win the job before the caller reaches the next plumber. Download the one-page PDF and send it across to confirm.
How do I stop losing service calls to missed calls? +
Most lost service calls are simply calls that ring out while you are on the tools, driving, or asleep - and emergency callers rarely leave a voicemail, they call the next plumber. The fix is to make sure every call gets answered. Hey Jodie is a 24/7 answering service built for trades: it picks up every call, takes the job details and books the work, so a service call you would have priced and won actually turns into paid work instead of going to a competitor.
More free tools
Answer every call, 24/7
Hey Jodie picks up when you cannot, books the job, and texts you the details. Set it up in minutes.
Get started for free