A five-minute repair rarely takes five minutes. Once you add travel, parking, buying a part and paperwork, a small job can take up a large part of your day. A minimum charge makes sure it pays for itself.
Work out what a visit costs
Add up the following for a typical call-out:
- Travel time in both directions.
- Fuel or transport.
- Time spent arranging and quoting the job.
- The other work you could have done instead.
If this comes to an hour of your time, then charging less than an hour means you're paying for the job yourself.
Common ways to set it
- Call-out fee: a set fee for attending, then a price for the work.
- Minimum order or job value: "Our minimum job charge is 2,000."
- First hour included: a fixed fee covering the first hour of work.
Make this quotation on your phone. Add your company once, then create and share a PDF, even without internet.
How to communicate it
State it early, so the client doesn't feel surprised:
"We have a minimum charge of 2,000, which covers travel and the first hour of work."
Clients generally understand, particularly when you explain what it covers.
Grouping small jobs
Offer value without dropping your price. "While I'm there, is there anything else you'd like me to look at?" This makes the visit worthwhile for you, and saves the client another call-out.
When to make an exception
You might waive a minimum for an important repeat client, or for a small job that leads to larger work. Make that a deliberate choice, not a habit. It's good practice to show the normal charge, then a separate discount line, so the client sees the favour you've done.
Quotation Maker App Offline is free on Google Play. It stores your work on your phone and creates a clean A4 PDF you can share anywhere.
Keep reading
How to Price Your Services Without Guessing
A straightforward way to calculate prices for your services, including hidden costs, a working hourly rate and sensible margins for small businesses.
Markup vs Margin: Calculate Profit on a Quote
Markup and margin are not the same thing. Learn the difference, the simple formulas, and how to avoid quoting less profit than you intended.
How to Revise a Quotation Without Confusion
When clients change their mind, handle revised quotations cleanly: version labels, what to update, how to communicate changes, and pricing extra work.