How do you calculate a flat rate price?
Multiply the labor hours by your billed hourly rate, then add the parts cost with your markup.
Flat rate = (labor hours × hourly rate) + (parts cost × (1 + markup))
Margin = (flat rate − cost) ÷ flat rate, where cost is labor hours × your cost per hour, plus parts.
Example: a condenser fan motor takes 1.5 hours at 150 dollars, so labor is 225 dollars. The motor costs 160 dollars, and a 50% markup makes it 240 dollars. The flat rate is 465 dollars, rounded up to 469. If a tech hour costs you 80 dollars, the cost is 280 dollars and the margin is 40.3%.
To price by margin instead, divide cost by (1 − target margin). At 50%, 280 dollars of cost becomes 560 dollars.
What hourly rate should a flat rate price book use?
Use your shop rate: a year of labor cost and overhead, divided by the hours you bill, plus your profit margin.
Shop rate = (labor cost + overhead) ÷ billable hours ÷ (1 − profit margin)
Example: 249,600 dollars of labor and 150,000 dollars of overhead over 4,368 billable hours is a break-even of 91.48 dollars. At a 15% margin, the shop rate is 107.63 dollars.
Work yours out in the shop rate calculator. This builder picks it up on the same browser. Use the break-even rate as your cost per hour to see margin after overhead.
What goes in an HVAC, plumbing or electrical price book?
One line per repair you do often, each with a code, a category, the labor hours and the parts cost.
- HVAC: capacitors, contactors, motors, igniters, thermostats, drains, tune-ups.
- Plumbing: toilet repairs, faucets, valves, drain clearing, water heaters.
- Electrical: devices, fixtures, breakers, surge protection, new circuits.
- Handyman: mounting, drywall patches, doors, caulking, assembly.
The starter lists in the tool are examples. Time each task from your own job history before you use the prices.
Example: “H-101 Replace run capacitor, Electrical, 0.5 hours, 18 dollars of parts” is one row.
How do you set member prices?
Take a percentage off the flat rate, then check the member margin still covers your cost.
Member price = flat rate × (1 − member discount)
Example: a 15% discount on a 469 dollar flat rate is 398.65 dollars, rounded to the nearest price ending in 9, which is 399. With 280 dollars of cost, the member margin is 29.8%.
Member prices round to the nearest step, so the discount stays close to the percentage you set. The tool can also apply the discount to the labor part only, so parts keep their full markup.
How do I import a price book into Housecall Pro, Jobber or QuickBooks?
Download the CSV for your software, then upload it from the price book or products screen and match the columns.
- Housecall Pro: Settings > Price Book > Services > Upload file. Industry, Category and Name are required, and the industry must be one from Housecall Pro’s list.
- Jobber: import on the Products & Services list. Category is Service or Product, and Taxable and Active take TRUE or FALSE. Unit cost is on select plans only.
- QuickBooks Online: Settings > Import data > Products and Services. It takes 1,000 rows at a time, so long lists download in parts.
Example: 1,450 tasks for QuickBooks download as two files, one of 1,000 rows and one of 450.
Questions
Is my price list uploaded anywhere?
No. Everything runs in your browser, and your list and rates are saved only in this browser.
Can I reprice the whole book when parts costs go up?
Yes. Paste the new parts costs or change the markup, and every flat rate and member price updates at once.
Where do the starter hours come from?
They are examples to edit. Replace them with the times your techs record on real jobs.
How many tasks can it price at once?
Every row you paste or drop is priced at once. The table shows the first 400 to edit, and the download has them all.
Sources
- Price Book: import or export services and materials, Housecall Pro Help Center,
- Price Book services guide, Housecall Pro Help Center,
- Products & Services List, Jobber Help Center,
- Import products and services into QuickBooks Online, Intuit QuickBooks,
