How to Charge for Lawn Care Services 

Pricing lawn care jobs is challenging for lawn care and landscaping professionals. 

For one, no two lawn care jobs are ever the same. That means you can’t entirely depend on a standardized price chart for lawn care services. You essentially have to price your services on a job-by-job basis. 

Doing that is not always easy since lawn care pricing has lots of moving parts. The price must factor in the lawn’s size and condition, the services rendered, and the associated costs. 

Moreover, charging for lawn care is a delicate balancing act. Set your prices too high, and nobody will buy your services. Set them too low, and you’ll struggle to turn a profit. 

How do you get the price just right? 

Well, this article is a guide on how to charge for lawn care. It starts by weighing the pros and cons of common lawn care pricing models. From there, we’ll discuss profit and costs as key pricing considerations for lawn care services. We’ll also reveal the secret to effective lawn care estimates and billing. 

Common Pricing Models for Lawn Care Services 

There are many ways to charge for lawn care services. To keep things simple, you should stick to one pricing model. However, depending on your customer base and offerings, working with various pricing options might make sense. 

You have five main pricing models to choose from: 

Flat Fee Pricing 

This is a clear and straightforward pricing strategy. You simply quote a specific amount for each job, regardless of the supplies or time needed to complete it. 

While it may be simple, charging a flat fee for lawn care can be risky. It works best when you fully understand the scope of the project—things like: 

• Duration 
• Operational costs 
• Complexity 
• Location 

Also, it only works for homogenous projects less likely to be influenced by external factors. 

Here’s a scenario ideal for flat fee pricing: 

Say your market is predominantly single-dwelling residential homes. And you have a good sense of the kind, size, and nature of lawns you’re dealing with. Then, you can confidently offer flat rate pricing, knowing that lawn care jobs won’t differ all that much. 

The pros: 

• Generates predictable income 
• Simplifies and speeds up billing 
• Customers know upfront how much they’ll pay 

The cons: 

• Unforeseen expenses can drive up costs 
• Requires a bit of market and field experience 
• Scaling often means introducing tiered pricing 

Hourly Pricing 

Hourly-based pricing is another simple way to price lawn care services. You bill clients by the hour. 

According to ZipRecruiter, lawn care specialists in the US earn, on average, $19/hour. Depending on other price factors, you can charge between $30 and $65 per hour of lawn care. 

The pros: 

• Most customers are familiar with hourly-priced services 
• Makes for easy quoting and billing 
• Hourly pricing is fair and transparent 

The cons: 

• The final price is not always certain 
• Prioritizes cost over value and quality 
• Does not reward speed, skill, or efficiency 

Per Square Foot Pricing 

This is probably the most popular lawn care pricing model. It works by charging the client based on the lawn’s size using a standard rate for every square foot or yard. 

To charge for a lawn care job, you measure the lawn’s area and multiply that by your rate. However, area-based pricing is not always that easy. Most lawn care specialists set different rates for different services. 

In fact, it’s nearly impossible to charge an all-inclusive rate per square foot. This is because some lawn care services are more complex than others. Plus, not all lawn care jobs are equal. And that’s where billing by the foot starts to get complicated. 

The pros: 

• Accurate revenue expectations 
• The customer knows exactly what they’re paying for 
• Easily scalable across all jobs 

The cons: 

• Some lawn care services cannot be charged on a per-square-foot basis 
• Complicates billing when dealing with multiple lawn care services 
• May not adequately account for a job’s complexity 

Subscription Pricing 

The subscription pricing model is designed to lock in returning lawn care customers. You charge an all-inclusive flat monthly fee for ongoing lawn care. 

The scope of service, fees, and terms will all depend on your agreement with the client. So, lawn care subscriptions vary from client to client. 

The pros: 

• Promotes repeat business 
• Stabilizes your income 
• Subscriptions are easy to bill 

The cons: 

• Customers generally expect to pay less for subscription lawn care 
• Subscriptions might not account for the customer’s evolving needs 
• Lacks the flexibility to accommodate dynamic pricing factors 

Seasonal Rates 

Seasonality significantly impacts the demand and prices of lawn care services. Spring, for instance, sees a dramatic surge in lawn care demand. 

Also, the in-demand lawn care services change depending on the season. For example, grass and weeds grow quickly in the warmer summer months, so weed control and mowing services are in high demand. 

These changes are an opportunity for seasonal pricing. The idea is to charge higher for the most in-demand lawn care services, depending on the time of year. Alternatively, you could charge less for in-demand services and undercut your competitors. 

The pros: 

• Cashes in on seasonal lawn care services demands 
• Makes your business more agile 
• Keeps you in the running with competitors 

The cons: 

• Creates pricing inconsistencies 
• Fluctuating prices may not bode well with long-term customers 
• Escalates competition pressure 

Understanding Your Lawn Care Costs 

Cost is a huge component of lawn care pricing. The final quote should include the cost and profit for any given job. 

Quoting a job too low might not cover costs or yield a profit. That would mean drawing out of your pocket to complete a lawn care job. In other words, poor pricing can easily lead to losses. 

To get the pricing right, you must get the costs right. Your lawn care prices should account for the following expenses: 

Labor Costs 

At between $16.59/hour and $21.15/hour, labor is arguably the biggest cost in lawn care. Moreover, employers are having to raise lawn care wages to attract and retain workers amid the worsening labor crisis in the landscaping industry. 

Labor costs depend heavily on the particular job and vary based on scope and complexity. Naturally, a more labor-intensive job will take longer and cost more. The crew’s professionalism, skill level, and efficiency also influence labor costs. 

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Materials and Supplies 

Lawn care jobs use up costly supplies. These supplies include: 

• Fertilizer 
• Herbicides and pesticides 
• Lawn fixtures 
• Mulch 
• Pavers 
• Plants 
• Sod and turf 
• Soil 

These supplies and their quantities vary depending on the lawn’s demands and job scope. It’s vital that you get an accurate estimate of the materials you’ll need to complete each job. 

Equipment Costs 

Running lawn care equipment such as mowers, trimmers, leaf blowers, and edgers costs money. This mainly includes the cost of fueling and maintaining the equipment. In some cases, it might also include the cost of hiring said equipment. 

Figure out how much it costs to run each piece of equipment for an hour. That will require calculating each asset’s fuel consumption and servicing costs. From there, you can determine how much goes toward equipment costs in every lawn care job. 

Miscellaneous Expenses 

You will sometimes incur expenses on a lawn care job that do not fit into any cost category.  

For instance, the logistics of getting the crew and supplies to the job site count as miscellaneous expenses. And so does any preparation necessary before work can begin. 

It’s difficult to anticipate and plan for miscellaneous expenses. The smart thing to do is take precautions against unexpected costs.  

To be safe, earmark a small portion of the total cost as miscellaneous. This will also act as a buffer in case of cost overruns. 

Business Overheads 

Overheads refer to expenses related to operating the business, not necessarily completing a particular lawn care project.  

Such costs include: 

• Office rent 
• Insurance premiums 
• Marketing expenditure 
• Licensure and permit fees 
• Utility bills 

First, calculate your total monthly overheads to include these costs in your pricing. Then, divide that total by the number of lawn care jobs you take monthly.  

That should give you an average of how much to charge for business overheads per lawn care job. 

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The Ideal Profit Margin for Lawn Care Businesses 

Profit margin is the ratio between earnings and revenue expressed as a percentage. It’s calculated using this formula: 

Profit Margin = (Revenue – Operating Costs) / Revenue x 100 

The profit margin for lawn care jobs typically ranges from 5% to 20%. You can, of course, earn more (or less) depending on how you charge for lawn care services. A large enough profit margin guarantees financial health and provides funds for business growth. 

However, turning more profit does not necessarily mean charging customers more. If anything, a higher price tag may push customers away. Rather than raise prices, it’s often wiser to try and cut costs. You can earn more by keeping costs low while maintaining competitive prices. 

Streamlining business operations is another clever way to boost profits. Higher efficiency results in a better bottom line. For starters, minimize wasted labor by reducing tasks outside customer service and fieldwork. While at it, instill company-wide accountability to ensure all your employees spend their time productively. 

Also, scoring more lawn care clients can expand your profit margins. A larger customer base presents more up-selling and cross-selling opportunities. You’ll also enjoy economies of scale—supplies and materials cost less when bought in bulk. 

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Effectively Estimating and Invoicing for Lawn Care Work 

Determining how much to charge for lawn care services can be tricky. You want a fair and competitive price that also turns a reasonable profit. Luckily, lawn care software such as Briostack can help you set the right price for every lawn care project. 

Briostack has a robust job estimation feature that generates accurate, well-detailed quotes and bids. It also includes CRM, accounting, field service management, marketing automation, and reporting features. This one tool helps you streamline all your lawn care operations, from pricing and bookkeeping to generating leads. 

Here are the benefits of using digital solutions to price lawn care jobs: 

• Minimizes tedious paperwork 
• Gets you paid faster 
• Reduces errors in cost estimations 
• Tracks and reports profitability 
• Manages payment plans 
• Automates customer billing and invoicing 

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First Steps to Charging for Lawn Care Services 

1. Choose an ideal pricing model. 
2. Assess each lawn care job to determine its scope, challenges, and requirements. 
3. Calculate costs and expenses. 
4. Mark up the price with the desired profit margin. 
5. Present the customer with a detailed lawn care quote. 
6. Implement lawn care software to help you prepare accurate job quotes.