Plumber Hourly Rate Calculator

Plumbing service work is mostly small jobs with big consequences - a water heater, a stopped drain, a leak under a slab. The hourly rate a solo plumber needs is driven by the van and the tools in it: drain machines, a press tool, a camera, and the stock of fittings you carry so you do not make two trips. Insurance is higher than a handyman's because water damage claims are real.

A realistic overhead for a one-van plumbing shop is about $29,000 a year. Billable share sits near 55%: drive time between calls, quoting, and the supply house run eat the rest. Customers compare your number to the franchise trucks and to their own hourly wage; neither is your cost.

Worked example: $29,000 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 $99.24 an hour; with a 15% margin you need $116.76, rounded up to $120. Plug in your own van, insurance and tool numbers below.

Overhead	$29,000
Salary target + 20% burden	$102,000
Billable hours (48 wk x 50 h x 55%)	1,320
True hourly cost	$99.24
With 15% margin	$116.76
Shop rate (rounded up to $5)	$120

Your trade

1. Overhead - what it costs to exist for a year, before any job

Yearly amounts. Rough is fine; you can tune it later in the spreadsheet.

Truck or van payment

Fuel, maintenance, tires

Insurance (liability + vehicle)

Phone, internet

Tools replacement (drain machines, press tools, cameras)

Software, accounting, bank fees

Licenses, permits, continuing ed

Website, marketing, uniforms

Office, admin, everything else

2. You - what you should be paid

Salary you want to pay yourself (per year)

Burden on that salary (self-employment tax, health, retirement) %

3. Time - hours you can actually bill

Weeks worked per year

Hours worked per week (all of them)

Share of those hours you can bill %

Profit margin you want on top %

Questions plumbers ask

How do I price an emergency call?

Same rate, plus an after-hours premium (1.5x is common) and a service call fee that covers the trip. Put both in writing before you leave the shop so nobody is surprised.

Do I include the supply house run in the rate?

It is part of the non-billable share. If you spend an hour a day at the supply house, your billable percentage drops and the rate rises to cover it. Stocking the van is usually cheaper than the hour.

Is there a plumbing price book?

Not yet. Run the calculator, then leave your email and tell us your trade. The trade with the most requests gets the next price book.

Next step

The plumber price book is on the build list. Run the calculator, leave your email above and tell us your trade - the trade with the most requests gets built first.

Other trades: Electrician, HVAC, Handyman, Landscaper, Pressure Washing, Mobile Detailing. Or use the generic rate finder.