Lawn Care Pricing Calculator
Enter your own time and costs to find a per-visit price that covers the job and your target profit margin.
Build your price
These are example starting values, not industry-standard rates. Replace them with your own.
Example property adjustment: Average (+10% on-site time). You can change it below.
Jump to your price $55 ↓How this calculator works
Start with your own labor and per-job costs. Difficulty and grass condition increase estimated on-site time, not the cost of materials. Drive time is paid time for the whole crew. Lawn size helps describe the job but does not set its price by itself.
Exact target price = job cost ÷ (1 − target profit margin).
Suggestion = the higher of the exact target price and your minimum charge, rounded up to the next $5.
For example, 40 minutes on-site plus 10 minutes of drive time for one worker at $25/hour costs $20.83 in labor. Add $8 equipment and $5 overhead for $33.83 total. At a 30% margin the exact price is $48.33, so the suggested quote is $50. This example uses an easy property with no time adjustment; the editable calculator starts at average difficulty.
What costs should you include?
Count what it takes to complete and support the job: loaded crew wages, allocated travel, fuel, equipment wear, supplies, disposal, and a share of insurance, software, and other overhead. If you do the work yourself, enter the hourly pay you want the business to cover for your time.
Margin is not markup
A 30% markup on a $70 cost gives a $91 price but only about a 23% margin. For a true 30% margin, divide $70 by 0.70 to get $100. There is no single right margin for every business; adjust the target to suit your own costs and goals.
Minimum charges, travel, and frequency
A minimum charge can protect small visits that still consume scheduling and travel time. Weekly versus every-two-weeks service is not automatically discounted here; enter the actual time needed for each visit, especially when less frequent mowing means heavier growth. Recurring figures are approximate revenue, not profit or a promise of a set number of visits.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate lawn care pricing?
Add your labor, drive time, equipment, materials, and overhead per job. Divide the total cost by one minus your desired margin, then compare the result with your minimum charge.
How much should I charge per hour?
There is no universal hourly rate. Include crew wages, non-billable travel, equipment and overhead, then set a margin that fits your business. The revenue per crew clock hour above lets you check your proposed quote.
How do I price lawn mowing?
Estimate realistic on-site time, including edging and obstacles, plus drive time. Add your true per-visit costs and select a target margin. Square footage can inform your time estimate but does not automatically set a profitable quote.
Should biweekly service cost more per visit?
It can if extra growth requires more labor or bagging. Adjust the time and costs for that property rather than applying an automatic surcharge to every biweekly job.
Should drive time count?
Yes. The time you allocate to travel between jobs costs your business money. Enter the share attributable to this visit so it is included in labor cost.
Is profit margin the same as markup?
No. Margin compares profit with the selling price; markup compares it with cost. This calculator uses margin, so a 30% target means dividing costs by 0.70.
What is a minimum service charge?
It is the lowest amount you are willing to charge for a visit. The suggested price never falls below it, though you can manually try another final quote and see a warning if you go lower.
Should I price by square foot or by time?
Size helps estimate workload, but actual time, crew cost, route travel, property condition, and other expenses determine whether the price is profitable.