How much to charge for plumbing: hourly rates and service calls (2026)

In the US, plumbers charge on average $85 to $100 an hour (anywhere from $50 to $200), and a service call costs the customer $64 to $275. In Canada, licensed plumbers charge about CA$105 to $175 an hour, and a service call averages about CA$195, usually including the first hour. Here's how to work out a rate that covers the hours nobody pays for.

How plumbing businesses price it

• A service-call fee: often covers the trip and the first hour on site.
• Flat rate by task: a set price for a faucet, a water heater or a drain, from your own price book. Customers like knowing the price before you start.
• Time and materials: an hourly rate plus parts, for jobs you can't price ahead.
• Travel: some charge $1 to $2 a mile beyond 10 miles.
• After hours: emergency rates run about $120 to $300 an hour on weeknights, $150 to $350 on weekends and $200 to $450 or more on holidays, or a $150 to $250 call fee on top.

Work out your own rate

Here's one plumber, employed full time, with a van.

• Labour: plumbers earn a median of $30.67 an hour in the US. Payroll taxes and benefits add about 45%, so call it $44.50 an hour. Not every paid hour is billable: driving, stock runs and paperwork take time. If 70% is billed, each billable hour carries $63.60 of pay.
• Running costs: van, stock, tools, insurance, licences and your office. Say $60,000 a year for the truck, over 1,400 billable hours: about $42.90 an hour.
• Break-even: $106.50 a billable hour. Add 12% profit: about $120 an hour.
• A service call with an hour on site and 30 minutes' drive: 1.5 hours at $106.50, plus 12%, is about $180, including the first hour.

If you pay a plumber and run a van and you're charging $90 an hour, check your numbers: you may be losing money on every hour you bill. Put in your own numbers with our hourly rate calculator, and price parts with the markup calculator.

What pushes the price up or down

• After hours and emergencies.
• Where you are: city or rural.
• Opening walls, working in crawl spaces, and septic or tankless systems.
• Permits and inspections.

Add-ons worth offering

• A water heater flush, or an expansion tank when you replace a heater.
• Shut-off valve replacements while you're there.
• A yearly maintenance plan with a set price for a check-up and a discount on repairs.

In Canada

• Plumbers earn a median of CA$34.00 an hour (Alberta $30, BC $32, Ontario $32.50, Quebec $40).
• Add CPP, EI, vacation pay and workers' compensation to the wage before you do the sum.
• Canadian plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors averaged an 11.2% net profit in 2024, and 78% were profitable.

Put it on a quote

Give options. For a water heater:

• Good: a standard tank.
• Better: a bigger or longer-warranty tank.
• Best: a tankless unit.

Say whether the permit and taking away the old one are included. In MightyCrews, the customer approves on their phone, pays a deposit, and the quote becomes a job. Start from the free plumbing quote template.

Sources (checked November 2026)

• US prices: Thumbtack (Oct 2026), HomeGuide (Sep 2023; emergency prices Dec 2025).
• Canadian prices: HomeStars (Aug 2026).
• Pay: US Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025 pay; June 2026 employer costs) and Canada's Job Bank.
• Profit: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, 2024 data.