How much to charge as a handyman (2026)

Most handymen in the US charge $50 to $100 an hour (about $65 is typical), with a minimum of around $130. In Canada, CA$85 to $110 an hour is common. Here's how to set a rate that pays for the hours you can't bill.

How handyman businesses price it

• By the hour, with a minimum: usually one or two hours, so short jobs still pay.
• A trip charge: about $30 to $80, often waived when the job is bigger.
• A flat price per task: mounting a TV, hanging a door, assembling furniture.
• A day rate: about $320 to $600 for a full day.
• Materials: at cost plus a markup, often 20% to 50%.

Work out your own rate

Say you work alone. Pay yourself what you'd pay a good employee, and remember the hours you can't bill.

• Your pay: general maintenance and repair workers earn a median of $23.84 an hour in the US. Taxes and benefits add about 45%, so call it $34.60.
• Your billable hours: if you work 40 hours a week but bill 30 (driving, quoting and buying materials aren't billable), each billable hour has to carry $46.10 of pay.
• Running costs: van, tools, insurance, phone, software and the accountant. Say $20,000 a year over 1,380 billable hours (30 a week, 46 weeks): about $14.50 an hour.
• Break-even: $60.60 an hour. Add 15% profit: about $70 an hour.

Charge a two-hour minimum and that's $140 for the smallest job, close to what customers expect. Put in your own numbers with our hourly rate calculator, and use the markup calculator for materials.

What pushes the price up or down

• License limits: many US states require a license above a set job size (anywhere from $500 to $10,000), and most places limit electrical and plumbing work. Know yours before you quote.
• Weekends and evenings usually cost more.
• Specialty skills, like tile or trim carpentry, earn more than general fixes.
• Materials: who buys them and what you add.

Add-ons worth offering

• A fix-up list: bundle several small jobs into one visit, priced together.
• TV mounting: $100 to $300. Ceiling fans: $75 to $150.

In Canada

• Handymen earn a median of CA$25.00 an hour (Alberta $28, BC $29, Ontario $24).
• Add CPP, EI, vacation pay and workers' compensation to the wage before you do the sum.
• Small jobs run about CA$130 to $250, and medium jobs CA$250 to $500.

Put it on a quote

List each task on its own line. Then offer three options:

• Good: the must-do fixes.
• Better: the must-dos and the nice-to-haves.
• Best: everything, with the materials included.

In MightyCrews, your pricebook keeps your hourly rate and your materials with your markup, so a quote takes a minute. Start from the free handyman quote template.

Sources (checked November 2026)

• US prices: HomeGuide (Aug 2023), Fixr (Jan 2025), Thumbtack (Nov 2026).
• Canadian prices: HomeStars (Aug 2026).
• Pay: US Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025 pay; June 2026 employer costs) and Canada's Job Bank.