How do you calculate an electrical quote?

Calculate the exact cost of materials (plus markup), estimate the labour hours at your charge-out rate, add specific overheads (like travel/equipment), and ensure your final figure includes your desired profit margin.

What is the average hourly rate for an electrician in Australia?

In 2024, most licensed electricians in Australia charge between $90 and $150 per hour, depending on their location, specialty, and overhead costs, often alongside a call-out fee.

Should I quote fixed price or hourly?

Fixed price quoting is generally better for the business if you can accurately estimate the work, as you get rewarded for efficiency. Hourly rates are safer for fault-finding or jobs with massive unknowns.

How to Price Electrical Jobs in Australia (Without Ripping Yourself Off)

Pricing jobs is where most sparkies lose their shirts. You look at a job, guess it will take "about a day," throw a number at the customer based on a gut feeling, and pray it covers the bills. By the time you factor in the extra trip to the wholesaler and the hour stuck in traffic, you've made less than minimum wage.

If you want to grow your electrical business, you need to stop guessing and start calculating.

1. Know Your True Charge-Out Rate

Your hourly rate isn't just what you pay yourself. It has to cover:

Your wage: What you actually want to take home.
Overheads: Van finance, fuel, insurance, software, phone, accountant fees, tool replacement.
Non-billable hours: Quoting, admin, driving, trips to the wholesaler. You only actually bill about 5-6 hours in an 8-hour day.
Profit margin: The money the business makes on top of your wage to fund growth and safety nets.

If you haven't sat down and calculated these exact numbers, you are flying blind. Most sole traders need to be charging a minimum of $100–$120/hr just to run a healthy business.

2. Fixed Price vs. Do-and-Charge

Do-and-Charge (Hourly): Great for fault-finding or jobs where the scope is a mystery. The downside? Customers hate it because they don't know the final bill. Also, as you get faster and more experienced, you actually earn less money.

Fixed Price: Customers love the certainty. If you quote a downlight install at $150 per light, and you get so good you can do it in 20 minutes, your hourly effective rate skyrockets. The risk is underquoting. You must know your material costs and typical timeframes down to the minute.

3. The Material Markup

Never pass wholesale prices directly to the customer. You spent years building trade relationships to get those discounts. You fund the accounts. You pick up the gear. You hold the warranty liability. A standard markup is 20% to 30% on materials, sometimes more for small, cheap items.

4. The Cost of Quoting (and When to Walk Away)

Driving 45 minutes to quote a small job is a massive drain on your resources. If a job looks like a time-waster, a tyre-kicker, or a project that is completely outside your wheelhouse, do not price it. You will either underquote to win it (and lose money), or waste hours of admin time for a rejection.

Instead, if a job isn't worth your time to quote or attend, pass it on. By using a referral service for your out-of-scope or out-of-area leads in Sydney, you skip the quoting process entirely and still get paid if the job goes ahead.

STOP TURNING DOWN WORK

Forward the jobs you can't take. We handle the rest. You get a referral payout.

The Bottom Line

Price your jobs on data, not fear. If a customer says you're too expensive, that's fine—you are running a profitable business, not a charity. Stand your ground, charge what you're worth, and hand off the jobs that don't fit your model.