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How to price electrical work without guessing
An outlet swap takes twenty minutes and a panel upgrade takes a day, and both need a price before you start. Electricians usually price small work by the hour with a minimum, and bigger work as a set price per task, built from hours and materials. Here's how to set those numbers, what published guides and the Bureau of Labor Statistics show, and a worked example.
Start with your hourly rate
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median wage for electricians at $30.38 an hour, or $63,190 a year, in May 2025. The lowest 10% earned less than $42,640 and the highest 10% more than $108,510. Those are employee wages: BLS pay figures don't include the self-employed.
Working for yourself, your rate has to cover what the electrical contractor used to cover: the van, insurance, tools and testers, license fees, and the hours spent quoting, buying parts and driving. Build it from your own yearly costs and billable hours, as in how to price a job, then compare it with the market.
What published guides show
HomeAdvisor's electrician cost guide, updated June 2026, puts licensed electricians at $50 to $130 an hour, plus a service-call fee of $100 to $200 for the first hour. It says many electricians set a minimum of one to four hours, and that after-hours work runs time-and-a-half to double the standard rate. Rates rise with license level.
| Hourly rate | |
|---|---|
| Apprentice | $40 to $60 |
| Journeyperson | $60 to $90 |
| Master | $90 to $120 |
| Licensed electrician, all levels | $50 to $130 |
HomeAdvisor electrician cost guide, updated June 19, 2026. What homeowners are quoted, not a recommendation; your rate comes from your own costs.
By the hour, a minimum, or a price per task
Small service work is usually hourly with a minimum: the customer pays at least your minimum, even if the fix takes fifteen minutes. That's what makes a one-outlet call worth the drive. See service call fees for whether to charge the visit separately or credit it toward the work.
Defined tasks are easier to sell at a set price, because you know roughly how long a fixture, a fan or a breaker takes. Build each task price from hours × rate + materials, then keep it as a saved line so the price doesn't drift. Where hidden wiring could change the job, give an estimate rather than a fixed quote (estimate vs quote).
For reference, HomeAdvisor (June 2026) lists these prices for common tasks:
- Outlet installation: $200 to $300
- Light switch installation: $85 to $200
- Ceiling fan installation: $140 to $350
- Electrical panel upgrade: $1,200 to $2,000
Materials, permits and the extras
Price materials at what you paid plus your markup, and list them on the estimate so the customer sees where the money goes. Keep one markup for all parts; markup vs margin shows what each markup leaves you.
Permit and inspection fees vary by town, so pass them on at cost as their own line. Which work needs a permit or a licensed electrician, and whether labor and materials carry sales tax, both depend on where you work, so check your state's and city's rules.
- Labor: hours × your rate
- Materials at cost plus your markup
- Permit and inspection fees, as charged
- Your minimum or service call
- The after-hours rate, if it applies
A worked example: three GFCI outlets
Example numbers, not a quote: an hourly rate of $95, a 25% parts markup and a two-hour minimum. Swapping three outlets for GFCI outlets takes 1.5 hours, and each GFCI costs you $22.
The last line below, a single GFCI on its own call, is the reason to bundle: walk the house with the customer and price every outlet, switch and fixture on one visit.
- Labor: 1.5 hours × $95 = $142.50
- Materials: 3 × $22 = $66 at cost, × 1.25 = $82.50
- Total: $142.50 + $82.50 = $225.00
- Minimum: 2 hours × $95 = $190, so $225.00 stands
- One GFCI on its own call: 0.5 hours × $95 = $47.50, + $27.50 outlet = $75.00, under the minimum, so the price is $190
Putting the price on paper
In Workeey you set your rates once: hourly, travel, call-out, first hour, evenings and weekends, parts markup and a deposit percent. Save the tasks you price often, a GFCI swap or a fan install, as lines with a name and a price. A quick estimate prices from those, and you share it from your phone as a quote PDF with the deposit percent printed on it. The customer says yes to you directly.
When the work is done, one tap turns the estimate into the invoice, emailed with a pay link for card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or US bank transfer through your own Stripe account; a small processing fee applies. The free plan includes 23 quick estimates a month and unlimited invoicing; Pro is $5 a month and Premium $19 (pricing). Start from the electrician estimate template, or see Workeey for electricians.
More for electricians: pages and free templates
- Electrician software — the whole electrical business in one app
- Invoicing for electricians — permits, panels and per-device rates on one bill
- How to start an electrical business — a step-by-step guide to going out on your own
- Best apps for electricians — the apps for this trade compared
- Electrician invoice template — free, with a filled-in sample
- Electrical estimate template — a free quote sample
- Electrical receipt template — a free paid-in-full sample
- Electrical price list template — free, with sample prices
- Electrical work order template — free, with a filled-in sample
- Free invoice template — every field a trade invoice needs
- Free estimate template — copy it, price it, send it
- Free receipt template — a paid-in-full receipt to copy
- Work order template — the job written down before you bill it
- Late payment reminder templates — texts, emails and a letter to copy and send
- All free templates and tools
How much should an electrician charge per hour?
HomeAdvisor's guide (June 2026) puts licensed electricians at $50 to $130 an hour. The BLS median wage for employed electricians was $30.38 an hour in May 2025; a self-employed rate has to sit well above that to cover overhead and unbilled hours.
Do electricians charge a minimum?
Many do. HomeAdvisor's guide (June 2026) says many electricians have a minimum of one to four hours, even when the work is done faster.
Should I price electrical work by the hour or by the job?
Hourly with a minimum for service calls and fault-finding; a set price per task for work you've done many times. Build the task price from hours, rate and materials so you know it pays.
How do I price an outlet installation?
Hours times your rate, plus the device at cost with your markup, then check it against your minimum. HomeAdvisor (June 2026) lists outlet installation at $200 to $300.
Should I charge more for after-hours calls?
Most do. HomeAdvisor's guide (June 2026) says after-hours work runs time-and-a-half to double the standard rate. Set your evening and weekend rate in advance and tell the customer before you go.