Pricing strategy for tradespeople: setting an hourly rate that holds
Work out your real cost per hour, choose between hourly and fixed pricing, and learn how to raise prices without losing customers.
The most common pricing mistake among Swedish tradespeople is copying whatever the firm down the road charges. That number says nothing about what your business costs to run.
Here is a model you can work through in twenty minutes, so you know exactly where your floor is on the next quote.
Step 1: find your billable hours
A full-time year is roughly 1,800 working hours. Travel, quoting, purchasing, invoicing and gaps eat into that. Most one-person firms land between 1,100 and 1,300 billable hours.
If you price against 1,800 hours you are already 35 percent too cheap before you start.
Step 2: add up your costs
760,000 SEK divided by 1,200 billable hours is 633 SEK per hour excluding VAT. That is your break-even, not your price. Add 15 to 25 percent margin.
| Item | Per year |
|---|---|
| Target salary before tax | 480,000 SEK |
| Employer contributions and tax | 150,000 SEK |
| Vehicle, fuel, insurance | 70,000 SEK |
| Tools and consumables | 35,000 SEK |
| Insurance, phone, software | 25,000 SEK |
| Total | 760,000 SEK |
Hourly or fixed price
Fixed pricing wins more jobs because the customer carries no risk. Use it for work you have done at least ten times and can estimate confidently.
Use hourly pricing for fault finding, emergency call-outs and older properties where you cannot see behind the wall. State clearly in the quote which model applies.
Raising prices without losing customers
- Raise once a year, in January, and announce it in advance.
- Raise 5 to 8 percent at a time, not 20 percent every third year.
- Justify with value: faster response, warranty, insurance, documentation.
- Offer existing customers the old rate for 60 days. It builds loyalty and fills your calendar during the transition.
Quote psychology that works
Always give three options: basic, recommended and complete. Customers offered three options almost always pick the middle one, which raises your average order value without making you look expensive.
Show the ROT or RUT deduction as its own line. The customer then sees the net price, which is usually what decides the job.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a normal hourly rate in Sweden in 2026?
- Typically 550 to 900 SEK per hour excluding VAT depending on trade, region and complexity.
- Should I charge for quotes and site visits?
- A short digital estimate should be free, but charge 500 to 900 SEK for a site visit and deduct it if the job goes ahead.
- How do I price emergency evening and weekend work?
- Apply a 50 to 100 percent surcharge and state it clearly before you travel.
- Does HemmaPro control my pricing?
- No. You set your own prices in your quote and HemmaPro takes 0 percent commission.
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