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How much handyman make

How much can you make as a pro handyman?

Having a career as a pro handyman can be surprisingly lucrative.

For example, I currently average over $100 per hour doing basic home repairs and often make over $150 per hour.

And I’m not special. Many of my students make more than this and easily generate a six-figure income each year.

How do we do it?

I explain how in this step-by-step guide here, but for now, let’s focus on how much an average handyman makes each year to get a good idea of how much you can make as a handyman.

Contents

Average handyman salaries

I hunted for relevant stats regarding handyman salaries. Here are the important ones I dug up:

According to Zip Recruiter:

  • The annual salary for a pro handyman in the U.S. ranges from $29,000 to $75,500.
  • The national average annual income for a handyman is $53,009 ($25/hour).
  • 71% of handymen make between $42,000 and $63,500.

Here are a few handyman-type careers and their annual median pay in 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics:

  • Construction laborers and helpers: $39,520
  • General maintenance and repair workers: $44,980 
  • Carpenters: $51,390
  • Plumbers: $60,090
  • Electricians: $60,240
  • Construction managers: $101,480
  • Construction and building inspectors: $64,480

Figure 1: National Average Salary For Handyman-Type Jobs

 

Average handyman salary comparison

Again, these numbers are the median. Some handyman workers make more, and others make less. A highly skilled handyman with a decade of experience will make more than someone less experienced or knowledgeable.

Location plays a significant role in how much you can make as well. To get a better estimate of potential income in your specific area, check out a website like Zip Recruiter.

As you can see from the numbers above, employed handymen tend to make more than construction helpers, but neither is rolling in cash.

Plumbers and electricians make quite a bit more, but if you want to make six figures in this industry as an employee, your best bet is to land a job as a construction manager.

Now, let’s look at how much you can make with a handyman business because this is much more fun and interesting.

How much can you make as a self-employed handyman?

The average self-employed handyman can earn between $53,000 and $120,000 annually (after expenses). This is for a handyman working solo with no employees.

So, if you’re wondering if the handyman business is profitable, the answer is YES.

Operating a handyman business can be pretty lucrative if you set up your business correctly and provide excellent service.

Take a look at this table, which I’ve created to estimate your potential income as a self-employed handyman based on how much you charge and how many billable hours you work each week.

Table 1: Estimated Self-Employed Handyman Income

Table: Estimated self-employed handyman income
Table 1 is based on the following assumptions: $7,622 yearly fixed overhead expenses, $6.50 per billable hour for variable costs (gas, vehicle, supplies, and tools), self-employment taxes of 7.65% already paid from net earnings, 49 weeks per year worked.

This table represents actual income. Typical handyman business expenses (insurance, licensing, tools, marketing, etc.) and self-employment taxes are already factored into the equation. This means it provides a near apples-to-apples comparison with an employee’s salary.

As you can see from the table, two main variables will affect your yearly income as a pro handyman:

  1. Your rates (how much you generate per billable hour, regardless of whether you charge by the hour).
  2. The number of billable hours worked per week.

Of course, other things will also affect your income, such as expense variations, but these tend to be similar for most self-employed handyman businesses. Since I’ve been nerding out about the handyman business for nearly a decade, I can estimate typical expenses with enough precision to be valid.

How much can you expect to make, given your unique circumstances?

To answer this question, you’ll need to estimate your rates and how many hours you will bill for, on average, each week.

Here’s one way to figure that out.

Estimating your self-employed Handyman rates

As I demonstrated in my article about setting handyman hourly rates, pro handymen in the U.S. average between $40 to $139 per hour, with the majority charging $60 to $90 per hour.

That’s a decent range, and what you can charge will depend on where you live, the services you provide, and how good you are at what you do (just like for employees).

However, as a business owner, your income will also be affected by your business skills. If you learn how to market your business effectively, sell your services, and manage yourself and your expenses well, it will dramatically impact your profits and income.

But, assuming you become average at those business skills, it’s safe to assume you can get between $60 and $85 per billable hour for your time (and much more if you master the business skills).

Adjust a bit higher if you live in a major metropolitan area and a bit lower in a rural area.

Estimating your billable hours

As a self-employed handyman, you won’t be paid for every hour that you work.

Unlike an employee, you’ll have to answer the phone, follow up with customers, manage your bookkeeping, shop for tools and supplies, market your services, and do other admin tasks that you will not be paid for (at least not directly).

So, unless you want to work 60+ hours per week, you won’t bill for 40 hours per week. A reasonable estimate for a typical handyman is to work somewhere between 25 and 35 billable hours per week. That allows time for driving to and from jobs, following up, and other day-to-day tasks.

Of course, this also assumes you can keep your schedule full in the first place.

So, if you look at the table above and then match your estimated hourly rate with the number of billable hours you will be working, you can get a pretty good idea of your income.

Assuming 25 billable hours per week at $60 per hour, you will make about $53,000 in a year.

Figure 2: Estimated self-employed handyman’s annual income
(If working 30 billable hours per week on average)

self-employed handyman annual income graph

If you can average ~30 billable hours per week at a rate of $85 per hour or more, you can make $100,000. Not too bad!

Get a job or start a business? Which is better for a handyman?

If you only look at income potential, this is a no-brainer. Starting a handyman business is by far the better option. As an employee with lots of experience, you are only looking at an income ceiling of $80,000, and that’s if you live in the right place with the right employer. The same skills and experience could earn you well over $100K as a self-employed handyman.

Being self-employed has other benefits as well. You have more control over your schedule. You have more control over which customers you work for and what kind of jobs you take on. If you build your business well, you are creating a valuable asset. And owning your own business is more secure than being an employee.

But, there are downsides to being self-employed. You have to manage your marketing, pricing, and yourself. This can be stressful, and if you don’t manage your business well, you can make a lot less than you would as an employee.

It also takes time to get your business up and running (time that you aren’t paid for).

As an employee, you have the benefit of making money right away. Every hour that you work, you are guaranteed to receive compensation. You don’t have to decide how much to charge or where to invest your marketing dollars. You just get to show up and fix stuff. Being an employee is often less stressful.

However, you don’t have control over your schedule as an employee. You must work when, where, and for whom you are told. You may have to take on jobs that you hate doing. And, of course, your income potential is significantly lower.

Starting a business is a clear choice for me, and the benefits far outweigh the downsides.

But, if you are looking for on-the-job training, a faster route to payday, or a more consistent income, and you don’t mind following orders, then getting a job may be a better choice.

What about the cost of health insurance for self-employed handymen?

Many self-employed pros are covered under their spouse’s health benefits.

But what if you aren’t?

Are you better off getting a job with benefits than starting a business?

Probably not. Let’s take a look at some numbers.

According to ehealthinsurance.com:

  • The average monthly premium for an individual in 2021 was $484 ($5,808 per year).
  • The average monthly premium for a family was $1230 ($14,760 per year).

Paying health insurance is a huge bummer, but it’s probably not expensive enough to force you to get a job. Let’s retake a look at the numbers.

Above, I demonstrated that the average self-employed handyman could expect to make between $53,000 and $120,000. If we factor in health insurance, here’s how things change.

Estimated self-employed handyman income after paying for health insurance:

  • $47,000 to $111,000 if paying for individual coverage.
  • $38,000 to $102,000 if paying for a family health insurance premium.

Now, remember from above that 71% of handyman employees earn between $42,000 and $63,000. Comparing those to the self-employed rates, you can still make significantly more as a self-employed handyman, even while paying for your own health insurance.

But, not all handyman employers have insurance benefits, and the ones that do probably pay their employees slightly lower salaries. So again, the winner from a financial perspective is clear – you can make much more money as a self-employed handyman.

Conclusions

The handyman business can be quite profitable, especially if you are willing to work hard and focus some time and effort on learning essential business skills.

An effective self-employed handyman can earn significantly more than they could as an employee. If you are a self-driven person with the confidence that you can solve problems, starting your own handyman business is your best bet.

And lastly, as a self-employed handyman, it’s worth it to invest time and money to learn how to raise your rates or schedule jobs more efficiently. Doing so will have a significant impact on your income.

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  • Tim van Riet September 29, 2021

    Hey Dan,
    Thanks for the inspiration 3 years ago when I started out. I’ve never looked back!
    Cheers,
    Tim

    • Dan Perry September 29, 2021

      You’re welcome, Tim!

  • David Lyons September 29, 2021

    Thanks, really appreciate the information. That would have taken me forever to come up with on my own. Plus coming from someone else it’s not biased. It’s just facts not mixed with wishful thinking. I really am glad you’re outthere I wouldn’t ever accumulate the information on my own Thanks again Dave

    • Dan Perry September 29, 2021

      Glad I can help, Dave!

  • Bobby Bowman September 29, 2021

    i start following u mr.perry about 6 months ago i would like to find out about the book u had about handyman is it still aval 1 and 2 will u trust me to make u payments? 3
    do i get the book 1st and than u charge me ?

    • Dan Perry September 29, 2021

      Hi Bobby. You can see a list of my products on the products page. All of my programs have the option of a payment plan. Once you make a payment you get immediate access to the course or ebook.

  • Darren Stout September 29, 2021

    Great information! Thanks for the many hours spent to put this together and willing to share with us!

    • Dan Perry September 29, 2021

      You’re welcome. I’m happy to see that you and others are finding it useful and insightful!

  • Sterling Hearth September 30, 2021

    Hey Big D,

    Thanks for compiling and presenting all this valuable information so well. I’ve been learning from you for years now and love sharing your resources with people who ask me about growing their handyman business.

    • Dan Perry September 30, 2021

      Hey Sterling! Thanks, and it’s always a pleasure hearing from you!

  • Luke Gallagher October 1, 2021

    Hi Dan, I have to thank you for being the only person to put information online about the “handyman” business. I quickly found that on the state and city levels (Wisconsin) even the government officials don’t have good info for an aspiring home maintenance expert. Your advice gave me the confidence to start and 3 weeks in I am more successful than I thought I could ever be. Thank you so much.

    • Dan Perry October 3, 2021

      Congrats on your success, Luke!

  • Samantha Wark October 7, 2021

    Hello Dan! Thanks a lot for sharing this information. This is a must-read especially for those interested in becoming a handyman.

    • Dan Perry October 14, 2021

      Absolutely! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.

  • Paul Lovett October 8, 2021

    Having owned my own business for 20+ years, there is a tendency at times to think you “know it all”. Having followed your advice and programs for years, (I think I first found you on the ACHP website years ago) much of my success has been because of what I haved learned from you. Now, at 65 years old, I am REALLY trying to work less and be paid more. Articles like this one, and going over all the past information of yours that I haved saved, have been a great refresher course for me. Just because you might think you have “learned it all”, doesn’t mean you have “retained it all”. Thank you for the many ways you have helped all of us over the years!

    • Dan Perry October 14, 2021

      You’re welcome, Paul! Thanks for sharing your experience. I’m glad to hear I can still provide value to an experienced pro like yourself.

  • Jack Darden October 21, 2021

    Hello Dan,

    Thanks for your online handyman startup website! I have followed you since 2014 and I am still doing handyman work. Since then I have created my own website and I get leads online.

    I wanted to chime in here and state as a handyman, the pay per hour can range for me is $25-$100 per hour depending on which project I am doing. The upper end for doing electrical, plumbing, concrete, demolition work.

    From doing handyman work, I might think about learning and getting my general contractor’s license.

    Thank you,
    Jack

    • Dan Perry October 22, 2021

      Thanks for sharing your experience. I can’t help but mention that I think $25 per hour is way undercharging, and I’d be willing to bet that with a few tweaks to your pricing you could increase your income significantly.

  • Samantha Wark November 8, 2021

    Hi Dan! I have just discovered your site recently and I have been reading some of your articles too. I hope you continue to share more about handyman. Thanks a lot!

  • Coleman January 11, 2022

    Dan,

    I am currently working a 9-5 and found this website yesterday. All of your content has inspired me to come up with a 6 month plan to start a service business. I am not sure if I want to do handyman work or another type of service. I have been brainstorming and am sure I will find my niche soon. Do you have any recommendations on service related jobs (besides handyman work) that provide solid income?

    • Dan Perry January 12, 2022

      There are so many different options. You could specialize in gutters, decks, pergolas, fences, kitchens, tile, TV mounts, doors, garage doors, mold, flooring, insulation, windows, and on and on. You can make a solid income in any niche that you specialize in. Some people just do pressure washing and make great money. I know this answer probably overwhelms you more than help, but your best bet is to just pick something and go for it. Another option is to start as a handyman and see what you enjoy and is in demand.

  • Handyman Maidstone May 29, 2022

    Hi Dan! Excellent article. I just discovered this site. I hope you continue to share more articles and tips. Looking forward to it.

    • Dan Perry June 6, 2022

      I have a lot more planned! Thanks for stopping by to leave a comment.

  • Jason Jenkins July 12, 2022

    Hi Dan,

    I started following you in spring 2021 while working a job. With that information was able to quickly set up my business and start part time. Within a month of that was off on my own and haven’t looked back. Coming up on a year in business and I’m so busy that I haven’t even finished the marketing course. To be honest haven’t needed to do a ton of social media marketing. Between the initial website/ranking set up you discuss and referrals it’s just nuts. Looking to hire at least a helper soon.

    Thanks for you dedication my friend!

    Jason Jenkins
    Owner of Go To Property Maintenance

    • Dan Perry July 12, 2022

      That’s awesome to hear Jason! Way to put in the work and get it done.

  • Avery T. January 26, 2023

    Hey Dan,

    I am very interested in becoming a handyman/professional remodeler/ home maintenance expert. I used to help my dad with some various remodels but I am not confident in my skills today. I want to start and do it right. I have my Fridays off and have thought about trying to get my feet wet but I am not sure how to approach the water. Specifics on how to get various skills is really what I am looking for you to answer. Thank you!

    • Dan Perry January 30, 2023

      Hey Avery,

      My recommendation is to either tackle some DIY projects or get a job working under a contractor. Doing is the only way you will gain confidence and useful experience. Youtube is an amazing resource to teach you how to do something before you tackle it on your own home.

      -Dan

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