cotiza.EXAMPLE, NOT A MARKET RATE
Worked example: one visit, two defined tasks
For this fictional visit, allow 2.5 working hours at $48.00 per hour: $120.00 in labor. Add $18.00 for materials and $12.00 for travel. The subtotal is $150.00; 10% contingency adds $15.00, for a $165.00 USD estimate. These are invented inputs, not typical handyman prices.
Labor = hours × your rate. Subtotal = labor + materials + travel. Total = subtotal + contingency.
Labor and contingency are rounded separately to cents; half cents round up. Contingency applies to the entire subtotal.
Before setting the price
List the tasks, not just “repairs”
Count the items and describe the intended result. Confirm that the requested work is within your qualifications. Grouping small tasks into one visit only saves time if the scope and access are clear.
Account for the whole visit
Include setup, shopping, travel time and cleanup consistently in your estimate. Enter travel charges separately only when they are not already included in another charge. This calculator adds no minimum callout fee automatically.
Decide how extras will work
Specify who supplies parts, what is excluded and how you will handle an additional task or return visit. A contingency allowance is not permission to change the agreed scope.
When the hours change
If this visit takes 3.5 working hours instead of 2.5, labor is $168.00. Keeping materials and travel the same gives a $198.00 subtotal, $19.80 contingency and a $217.80 estimate. After the job, record actual hours and costs in the app to check what changed.
From shared text to a saved job
The web calculator creates text in this page’s language. The iPhone and iPad app adds itemized estimates, English or Spanish PDFs and bilingual text. Free includes 3 new saved jobs per calendar month. Premium adds no monthly save limit, templates and trends. Enter your numbers in the app separately: this page does not transfer them.