Most solo tradespeople undercharge — because they forget overhead, taxes, slow weeks, and all the hours they can't bill. Punch in your numbers and find your real rate.
Knowing your number is half the battle. SideWRK puts it on a clean estimate your customer approves, takes card & Apple Pay, and tracks what you're owed — so you actually get your rate.
Typical 2026 hourly bands for solo operators, adjusted for your state's cost level. Researched estimates — your skill, demand, and town set the real number. Use it as a floor check, not a ceiling.
National baseline for a solo operator, before the state adjustment above. Cost-of-living swings these roughly 20% either way — California and New York sit at the top, Mississippi and West Virginia at the bottom.
| Trade | Typical hourly rate |
|---|---|
| HVAC | $100–$150/hr |
| Heavy equipment / ag | $95–$145/hr |
| Electrician | $90–$140/hr |
| Plumber | $90–$140/hr |
| Auto / mobile mechanic | $85–$130/hr |
| Welding & fab | $85–$125/hr |
| Carpentry / finish | $65–$110/hr |
| Small engine | $70–$100/hr |
| Handyman | $60–$95/hr |
| Landscaping (crew rate) | $50–$85/hr |
| Painter | $45–$75/hr |
| House cleaning | $40–$65/hr |
Where these come from: published rate surveys and trade-association pricing guides for solo operators, cross-checked against the per-trade cost models behind our own job calculators. They're researched estimates, not a proprietary dataset — treat them as a floor check, not a quote.
When you worked for someone else, $30/hour meant $30 in your pocket. On your own, that same $30 has to cover your truck, your insurance, your tools, your taxes, your slow weeks — and every hour you spend driving, quoting, and chasing payment that you can't bill for. That's why a fair hourly rate as a solo operator is usually a lot higher than the wage you'd earn as an employee. Charging "what the last guy charged" is how good tradespeople quietly go broke.
The take-home pay you want, plus what it costs to run your business for a year.
You don't bill 40 a week. Use the hours you actually charge — usually 25–30 — and your real weeks worked.
Hold back for taxes and add a cushion. The calculator grosses it all up into one honest hourly rate.
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