charge for emergency call outs
Setting Your Emergency Call-Out Rates: A Beginner's Guide
Phone goes at 11pm - burst pipe, sparks, no heating, panicking customer. You can fix it. But what do you charge when you're dragging yourself out of bed on a Sunday? Most new tradesmen either fluff the number on the spot or undercharge out of guilt. Emergency work is a premium service, and it should be priced like one - your standard day rate doesn't apply at midnight. Get your call-out rate sorted now, so the next 11pm call is a decision, not a panic.
What you're actually charging for
When you charge for emergency call outs, you're not just billing the repair. You're billing the disruption - the dropped evening, the dark drive, the kit you keep loaded for exactly this.
The three parts of an emergency price
- The call-out fee - a fixed charge just to attend, before any work. Covers travel and turning out.
- The premium labour rate - your hourly rate uplifted for unsocial hours.
- Materials - at full price, no discount, plus your markup for sourcing at short notice.
Typical uplifts
- Evenings and Saturdays: 1.5× your standard hourly rate.
- Sundays, bank holidays and overnight: 2× standard.
- A non-refundable call-out fee on top, quoted before you leave the house.
The call-out pricing formula
Here's the sum to lock in. Plug your own numbers in once and you'll never freeze on a late-night call again.
Worked example - standard rate £45/hr, Sunday job (2× uplift), £60 call-out fee, 2 hours, £40 materials:
That's a fair price for a Sunday rescue. Quote it confidently - the customer in a crisis values speed far more than a few quid saved.
Where new tradies get this wrong
- Charging the day rate at midnight. If 11pm Sunday costs the same as 11am Tuesday, you've no reason to ever answer the phone after hours. Price the inconvenience.
- No upfront call-out fee. Driving 40 minutes to a 'leak' that's a dripping tap they could've waited on - with no fee, that's your evening gone for free.
- Guessing the number on the doorstep. Stressed and put on the spot, you'll lowball. Have your formula ready before the phone rings.
Have the emergency quote ready to fire
When you're out at 11pm, the last thing you want is to build a quote from scratch. With Quotato you can set up pre-built emergency call-out quote templates - call-out fee, uplifted rate and common parts already loaded. Tap a couple of fields on your phone, send it, and the customer accepts online before you've packed the van. Looks professional even at midnight, and you get paid the right number every time.
Emergency work is some of the best-paid in the trade - but only if you price it like the premium service it is.
Set up your emergency call-out template now, before the next 11pm call.
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