Electrician Hourly Rate Calculator
Search "electrician hourly rate" and you get two numbers that are both wrong for you. Salary sites say about $38 an hour - that is what a company pays a journeyman, not what a shop has to bill. Homeowner sites say $50 to $130 - that is what customers see, with the overhead already inside it. Neither tells a one-van shop what its own hour has to sell for.
For an electrical shop the overhead that matters is the van, fuel, liability and vehicle insurance, the phone, the tools that walk off (figure $2,000 to $3,000 a year replacing them), software, license renewals and continuing education, and the unpaid hours quoting and driving. Most owner-operators who track it honestly bill 45% to 60% of the hours they work.
Worked example: $27,200 of overhead, an $85,000 salary target with 20% burden, 48 weeks at 50 hours with 55% billable. That is 1,320 billable hours and a true cost of $97.88 an hour. Add a 15% margin and you need $115.15, which rounds up to a $120 shop rate. Under $98 that shop is paying to work. Put your own numbers in below.
| Overhead | $27,200 |
| Salary target + 20% burden | $102,000 |
| Billable hours (48 wk x 50 h x 55%) | 1,320 |
| True hourly cost | $97.88 |
| With 15% margin | $115.15 |
| Shop rate (rounded up to $5) | $120 |
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The spreadsheet version keeps your numbers, and the examples show what common jobs in your trade should cost at your rate. No trial, no sales calls, unsubscribe any time.
Questions electricians ask
Is $120 an hour too high for a one-man electrical shop?
Not if your costs say so. Fully burdened shop rates for solo licensed electricians run $85 to $150 depending on region. The number comes from your overhead and the salary you want, not from what the shop down the road charges.
Should the service call fee be on top of the hourly rate?
Yes. A minimum job charge or service call fee ($100 to $200 is typical) covers drive time, setup and admin that the hourly rate alone never recovers on small jobs.
How do I turn the rate into flat-rate prices?
Multiply the rate by realistic hours for each task, add marked-up material, round up to $5. Our Flat-Rate Price Book Builder does that for 75 common electrical tasks in three difficulty grades.
Next step
Turn the rate into prices: the Flat-Rate Price Book Builder for Electricians takes this engine and generates a 75-task price book in Easy, Normal and Hard grades. $39, Excel and Google Sheets.
Read: What should a self-employed electrician charge per hour?
Other trades: HVAC, Plumber, Handyman, Landscaper, Pressure Washing, Mobile Detailing. Or use the generic rate finder.