---
title: "Flat price or by the hour? | LocoTap"
description: "A flat price, once you know how long the job takes. 120 of parts, 30% markup and 2 hours at 90: price it 336, and it earns 144 an hour done in 1.5."
url: "https://locotap.com/learn/flat-price"
---

# Flat price or by the hour?

A flat price, once you know how long the job takes.

**For**

Turn your usual time and parts into one price a customer can say yes to.

**When**

For jobs you’ve done many times

## Try it

120 of parts, 30% markup and 2 hours at 90: price it 336, and it earns 144 an hour done in 1.5.

Flat price = parts × (1 + markup) + usual hours × your rate.

Price the usual job, not the fastest one you did.

## Worked out

| Hours it took | Flat price, an hour | By the hour, an hour |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | 216 | 126 |
| 1.5 | 144 | 114 |
| 2 | 108 | 108 |
| 3 | 72 | 102 |

## Easy to get wrong

- Pricing from your fastest time.
- Leaving out the drive and the clean-up.
- No price for what’s found behind the wall.
- Never checking it against real jobs.

## The tool for it

**Price book** One price for each job you do again and again [About it](https://locotap.com/tools/trade-price-book) [Start free](https://locotap.com/sign-in?back=%2Fapp%2Flearn%2Fflat-price)

## Questions

**Do customers prefer a flat price?**

Most do: they know the cost before you start, so they say yes sooner.

**What if the job takes longer?**

You carry that hour, as you keep the hour when it’s quicker. Price the usual time.

**What if I find something else wrong?**

That’s a new job: price it and get a yes before you do it.

**Which jobs suit a flat price?**

Ones you’ve done many times that take about the same time.

**How much markup on parts?**

Your own choice; type it in. It pays for buying, carrying and returns.

**Should the price show the parts?**

One price is enough. List what’s included, not what each part cost.

**How often do I check my prices?**

Every few months, against how long the jobs really took.

**Do I still need an hourly rate?**

Yes. It’s inside every flat price, and it prices the jobs you haven’t done before.

Next · Before the job: [What makes a quote a yes?](https://locotap.com/learn/quote-yes)