How to price lawn care jobs (with a calculator)

Most new operators price by looking at the yard and guessing what the neighbor pays. That works until you notice you're busy and broke. Here's the method, then the calculator.

Start with what an hour has to earn

Add up a month of real costs: truck payment, fuel, insurance, equipment payments, repairs, phone, software, and the wages you pay (including yourself). Divide by the crew hours you actually bill in a month. Most small operators land between $60 and $90 per crew hour before profit. Add your profit target on top. That's your hourly rate.

Time the job, including the driveway

A yard takes the minutes it takes to mow, trim, edge, and blow, plus the minutes to unload, load, and drive to the next one. Ten minutes of drive time on a 20-minute yard is a 50% overhead. Price the full stop, not the mowing.

Set a minimum

Below a certain price, a yard costs you money no matter how small it is. Most operators set a minimum stop price between $40 and $50 in 2026 and hold it. Say it out loud on the phone.

Sell the season

Quote a per-visit price, then offer the monthly equivalent: visits per season × per-visit price ÷ months you bill. Monthly billing on a card smooths your cash and cuts collection time to zero.

Adjust for reality

• Slopes, fences, obstacles: add 10–25%.
• Bagging: add the dump time and fee.
• Biweekly: charge more per visit; the grass is taller and the yard looks worse.
• Density bonus: if the yard is next door to a current customer, you can shave a little and still make more.

Use the calculator

Scroll down and plug in your numbers. It does the math for a single visit and a monthly plan. If the number feels high, remember: the customer isn't buying mowing, they're buying their Saturday back.