There is no single right hourly rate for an Australian tradie. Many sole traders charge somewhere between $80 and $150 an hour plus GST, with specialised and call-out work going higher. But a market average is a trap. The right rate is the one built from your own costs and the hours you can actually bill, which is almost always higher than the figure you would guess.
Copying the rate of the tradie down the road is how good operators quietly go broke. Here is how to find your number.
Why "the going rate" is the wrong question
The tradie you are copying might have a paid-off ute, no insurance gaps, work from home, and bill more days than you. Their costs are not your costs. If you match their rate without matching their cost base, you take home less for the same work.
A market range is only useful as a sanity check at the end. Build your own rate first, then see where it lands against the ranges below.
How to build your real hourly rate
Work it out in three steps:
- Find your day rate. Add your target pre-tax income to your yearly overheads (insurance, vehicle, fuel, tools, phone, software, accounting), then divide by your billable days. Most sole traders bill around 200 days a year, not 260 and definitely not 365. The full method is in our guide on working out your true day rate.
- Divide by billable hours per day. You might be on site eight hours, but quoting, travel and admin eat into that. If you bill six hours of a working day, divide by six, not eight.
- Add GST if registered. If you are registered for GST, add 10 percent on top when you quote. The GST is not yours to keep, it goes to the ATO.
The free Charge-Out Rate Calculator runs this maths for you, including super and a profit margin, so you get a defensible number in under a minute.
Rough hourly ranges by trade
Use these as a reality check only. Actual rates swing with location, demand, experience and how specialised the work is. All figures are a guide and exclude GST:
- General handyman: roughly $60 to $100 an hour
- Painter: roughly $50 to $90 an hour
- Carpenter: roughly $70 to $120 an hour
- Plumber: roughly $90 to $150 an hour, higher for emergency work
- Electrician: roughly $90 to $150 an hour, higher for call-outs
- Specialised or licensed niche work: often $150 an hour and up
If your calculated rate lands well below these, you are probably undercounting your costs or your billable days. If it lands above, your costs or income goals are simply higher, and that is fine as long as you can explain the value.
Do not forget call-out fees and minimums
Hourly rate is only part of the picture. Most established tradies also charge:
- A call-out fee to cover travel and the unbilled time getting to a job.
- A minimum charge so a 20-minute job still covers your time and running costs.
Make both clear before you arrive. Surprises on the invoice are the fastest way to a dispute.
Charge for the whole business, not just your hands
Your hourly rate has to carry the gear, the insurance, the quoting, the admin, your super and the rainy days when no one is on the books. Price for all of it once, check it against the ranges above, and you stop leaking money on every job you win.
This is general information, not financial advice. Your costs, tax position and super will change the numbers. For tax matters, check the ATO website or talk to a registered tax agent.