How to price lawn mowing

Mowing is a repeat job with a small margin for error, so the price per visit has to cover more than the time on the mower. This guide builds a per-visit price from time on site, drive time, equipment cost and margin. The figures are assumptions for the example: use your own.

Step 1: Count all the time

Say a typical residential visit takes 45 minutes on site, and you spend 15 minutes driving to it from the previous stop. Both are paid time, so count both: 60 minutes, or 1 hour.

Step 2: Price the labor

Say one worker handles the visit and their burdened labor rate (wage plus payroll taxes and insurance) is $25 an hour.

Step 3: Price the equipment and truck

Mowers, trimmers, blades, fuel and the truck all cost money per hour of use. Say the mower, trimmer, blades and fuel work out to $7 an hour, and the truck to $5 an hour. The truck cost calculator turns your payment, insurance, fuel and maintenance into a cost per billable hour.

Step 4: Add overhead

Say your overhead (insurance, software, your own time) works out to $8 per billable hour. The break-even rate calculator shows how to find your own.

Step 5: Add up the cost, then the margin

The profit is $30 a visit, which is 40% of the $75 price. If a lot takes 90 minutes instead of 60, the cost is $67.50 and the same margin needs $112.50, so price by lot size, not one price for every yard.

Price the route, not just the stop

• Drive time falls when stops are close together. A tight route lets you charge less or keep more.
• Add a minimum visit price so a small lot still covers the drive.
• Re-check the numbers each season, since fuel and labor move.

Landscaping companies keep the visit prices, add-ons like edging and cleanup, and their costs in one list; see how that looks on the landscaping page.