Why should drive time be included when pricing a mowing stop?

Drive time consumes route capacity even though the mower is not running. Two similar lawns can therefore have different cost floors when one adds substantially more travel.

Does Quoturf tell me the market rate for lawn mowing?

No. The calculator estimates a cost-based floor from the user’s own assumptions. It does not predict local market rates, customer acceptance, revenue, or profit.

Lawn-care owner-operators · free · no signup

Free lawn care pricing calculator for recurring mowing jobs.

Q: What costs should a lawn care price include?

A cost-based price can include on-site time, drive and setup time, owner or crew labor, vehicle and equipment cost, materials, payment fees, and a share of overhead. Quoturf uses only the amounts the operator enters.

Turn service time, windshield time, owner pay, overhead, and margin into one transparent minimum price per visit—using your own numbers.

Calculate a price floor See the full software — US$19

01 · Route inputs

Price one recurring stop

USD

On-site service timeDrive + setup timeInclude this stop’s share of outward, between-stop, and return driving once, plus setup.What you want to earn per working hourYour owner-pay allowance for service, driving, and setup time—not business profit. For a crew, use the route calculator below.Fuel + direct costVehicle, equipment, materials, and other visit costs. Exclude payment fees entered below.

Overhead allocated to stopDollars per visit, not per hour. Use annual fixed cost ÷ realistic usable route hours × this stop’s hours.How to allocate overhead per visit

Desired profit margin after paying yourselfYour goal, not your current result. A 22% goal means keeping $22 of every $100 as business profit after your pay and entered costs.Current price per visitPre-tax amount charged before payment fees; exclude sales tax collected for remittance.Planned visits per season

Payment-processing fees

Fees charged to collect your customer’s payment—not your overhead or the price of Quoturf. Enter 0 only when a fee does not apply.

Flat processing fee allocated to this visitFlat transaction fee ÷ visits covered by that payment. Example only: $0.30 covering 4 visits = $0.075 per visit. A $10 entry here means a $10 fee for every visit.Percentage payment feeYour effective processing rate on pre-tax revenue. Example only: enter 2.9 for 2.9%. Do not also include these fees in direct costs.

Starting numbers are examples, not recommended rates. Replace each with your own costs. Blank means missing; enter 0 only after reviewing a cost. Results are estimates—not a guarantee or a local market price.

02 · Understand your numbers

What your current price leaves

You charge, per visit$58.00

Your pay + entered costs, including fees$49.93

Profit after your pay, per visit

$8.07

This is what remains after your owner-pay allowance and the costs entered here. It is business profit in this model, not your total pay.

Margin at your current price, after your pay13.9%

Season result · 30 visits at this price$242.00

A negative result means a shortfall after your pay allowance and entered costs. Season totals assume the same price, time, and costs each visit and use unrounded values.

Your goal · a different question

Price needed for your 22% profit margin

$64.02

per visit · after your pay and entered costs

$6.02 more per visit than you currently charge.

Changing this goal changes the price needed—not the profit your current price earns. This is a cost-based estimate, not a guaranteed market price.

This price check stays free. Need saved stops, route groups and actual-visit checks?Compare free tools with the US$19 offline download →

Where the money goes

Your pay allowance · 0.87 working hours$32.93

Fuel + direct costs$6.00

Allocated overhead$11.00

Flat processing fee per visit$0.00

Percentage fee at your current price$0.00

Total at your current price$49.93

Show the calculations

Your pay: (38 service minutes + 14 drive/setup minutes) ÷ 60 × $38.00 per hour = $32.93.

Current result: $58.00 charged − $49.93 in pay and costs = $8.07 per visit. Margin = unrounded result ÷ $58.00 × 100 = 13.9%.

Target price: $49.93 before percentage fees ÷ (1 − 0% fees − 22% margin) = $64.0171, rounded up to $64.02.

All calculations use full-precision amounts. Displayed cents can differ slightly when added or multiplied. Percentage fees change with the price charged.

No national-rate guessing

A price floor built from your route.

Pay for all the time

Windshield and setup minutes consume route capacity just like mowing minutes. The tool prices both.

Carry the real costs

Fuel, maintenance, supplies, insurance, software, and admin do not disappear because a job looks simple.

Protect margin correctly

Margin is calculated as a share of the selling price—not added to cost as an informal markup.

The method

Transparent enough to check by hand.

floor = (owner pay + direct cost + overhead + fixed fee) ÷ (1 − percentage fee − target margin)

Results are estimates based entirely on the numbers entered. They include only entered costs. Payment rates apply to pre-tax service revenue; account for fees on other amounts in your effective rate. This single-owner tool does not separately model employees, taxes, or local market constraints. Use the route calculator for combined crew cost. No information is submitted or stored by this calculator.

Go beyond the quick calculation

Price the stop. Then judge the route.

Guide 01

How to price lawn care jobs

Build a floor from time, direct costs, owner pay, overhead, and margin.

Read the pricing guide →Guide 02

Margin vs. markup

See why adding 25% to cost does not produce a 25% profit margin.

Check the math →Guide 03

Route density and drive time

Understand why the same lawn can have a different floor on a different route.

Read the route-density guide →

Lawn care pricing FAQ

The questions behind the number.

What costs should a lawn care price include?

Start with on-site time, drive and setup time, owner or crew labor, vehicle and equipment cost, materials, payment fees, and a fair share of overhead. Use costs you can explain and update—not a national rate copied from somebody else.

Why include drive time when pricing a mowing stop?

Windshield time consumes route capacity even though the mower is not running. Two similar lawns can have different cost floors when one adds substantially more travel to the route.

What is the difference between margin and markup?

Markup is measured against cost. Margin is measured against the final selling price. Quoturf divides cost by one minus the target margin rather than simply adding that percentage to cost.

Does this calculator tell me the market rate?

No. It estimates a cost-based floor from the assumptions you enter. It does not predict a local market rate, whether a customer will accept a quote, or what profit the business will actually earn.