Handyman Services List: 40 Jobs and How to Price Each

A handyman services list is the menu of small repair, install and maintenance jobs you take on, grouped so customers find their job fast and you know how to price each one. Most lists fit in eight groups, from drywall patches to TV mounts. Price each service as a flat rate per task, hourly with a minimum, or per unit, and leave off anything your state says needs a license.

Task price = (hours × your cost per hour + materials) ÷ (1 − margin).

Hypothetical faucet swap: (1 hour × $52.18 + $20) ÷ 0.70 = $103.11, rounded up to $105. Full visit worked below.

A good list does two jobs. It tells customers "yes, I do that," and it tells you which price method to grab when the call comes in.

Scope: US handymen and small home-repair businesses. Costs and prices below are hypothetical; licensing limits are state law, so check your state's contractor board. For the full pricing method, see how to price handyman jobs.

1. The handyman services list, grouped by how you price it

Here are 40 common handyman services in eight groups, with the pricing method that usually fits each group. Cut the ones you don't do and add your specialties.

Group the list on your website and estimates the same way. A customer with a sticking door and a loose towel bar should see both in two seconds.

Two of those outdoor services have their own pricing guides: gutter cleaning and pressure washing.

2. Which handyman services make you the most money?

The services that pay best are the ones you can quote fast, finish in one trip and do again next week. Profit hides in repeatable jobs, not in the biggest ones.

• Repeat, quick tasks: TV mounts, fixture swaps and door fixes. You know the time cold, so a flat rate is safe.
• Bundles: four small tasks on one visit share one drive. The trip gets paid once instead of eaten four times.
• Tools you already own: a service that needs a $600 tool for one job isn't a service yet.

Watch the jobs that drag: anything where you can't see the problem until you open it up. Those get hourly pricing with a minimum, not a flat rate.

3. Services to leave off your list, or get licensed for

Every state sets its own line between handyman work and contracting. Cross it without a license and the job can cost you more than it pays.

Two examples. In California, the exemption covers jobs where labor, materials and everything else total less than $1,000, the work doesn't need a building permit, and you don't advertise as a contractor or employ anyone to help (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7048). In Florida, the line is an aggregate contract price under $2,500 for casual, minor work, and splitting a bigger job into small contracts doesn't count (Fla. Stat. § 489.103(9)).

Lead paint is federal. In homes built before 1978, the EPA treats a job as minor repair only if it disturbs 6 square feet or less of painted surface per room inside, or 20 square feet or less outside, with no window replacement or demolition of painted surfaces (40 CFR 745.83). Bigger than that and the lead-safe renovation rules apply.

Usually off the list without a trade license: new electrical circuits, gas lines, water heater and HVAC installs, structural changes and roofing. Check your state's contractor board and your city's permit rules before you add them.

4. How to price each service on the list

Every price on the list starts from the same number: what an hour of your time really costs. Then each service gets one of three methods.

Your cost per hour. O*NET lists the national median wage for general maintenance and repair workers at $23.84 an hour (2025). This guide adds a 35% load for payroll taxes, insurance and time off ($32.18) and $20 an hour of overhead for the truck, phone, tools and insurance, so $52.18 an hour. Yours will differ; the hourly rate calculator works it out.

1. Flat rate per task: (expected hours × cost per hour + materials) ÷ (1 − margin). Use it when you know the time within 15 minutes.
2. Hourly with a minimum: a billing rate of cost per hour ÷ (1 − margin), with a minimum that covers the trip. Use it when the problem is hidden.
3. Per unit: per square foot, linear foot or item, from the time per unit on your last few jobs. Use it for painting, trim and gutters.

Set a visit minimum so a five-minute job doesn't lose money. At $52.18 an hour and a 30% margin, one hour on site plus a half-hour drive costs $78.27, so the minimum is $115 after rounding up ($78.27 ÷ 0.70 = $111.81).

5. Worked example: a four-task visit, priced off the list

Hypothetical: a customer asks for a TV mount, a faucet swap (they bought the faucet), two drywall patches and a tub recaulk. Cost per hour $52.18, margin 30%, each line rounded up to the next $5.

That's $145.19 of profit, a 31.9% margin after rounding. Notice the trip line. Priced into one task, it hides. Listed on its own, the customer sees why four small jobs in one visit cost less than four visits.

Check any line against your target with the profit margin calculator.

6. Put the list to work on every estimate

A services list earns its keep when it turns into line items. Use it in three places.

• Your website and ads: the eight groups as headings, so customers search themselves into the right one.
• The estimate: one line per service, with the trip as its own line. Customers approve line items faster than a lump number.
• On site: the "while you're here" ask. Walk out with the list, and the loose railing becomes a sixth line instead of a free favor.

In WinPal you can snap a photo of the job, describe it out loud, and get a first-draft estimate to fix up before you send it.

Just getting set up? Read how to start a handyman business for the license check, EIN, taxes, insurance and a first-year budget.

Common handyman services questions

What services does a handyman offer?

Most handymen offer small repairs and installs: drywall patches, mounting TVs and shelves, furniture assembly, door and lock fixes, fixture swaps like faucets and light fixtures, trim and carpentry repairs, touch-up painting and caulking, and outdoor jobs like gutter cleaning and fence repair. Bigger trade work usually needs a license.

What can a handyman legally do without a license?

It depends on the state. California exempts jobs under $1,000 total that need no building permit, if you don't advertise as a contractor or employ helpers. Florida's limit is $2,500 for minor work. New circuits, gas lines and structural work usually need a licensed trade. Check your state contractor board.

How should I price the services on my list?

Work out your cost per hour, including payroll costs and overhead. Then price repeatable tasks as flat rates, hidden-problem jobs hourly with a minimum, and area work per square or linear foot. Divide cost by one minus your margin, and charge the trip once per visit.

Should a handyman charge a minimum fee?

Yes. A minimum covers the drive, setup and cleanup that every visit needs, even a 10-minute fix. In the hypothetical here, one hour on site plus a half-hour drive at $52.18 an hour and a 30% margin gives a $115 minimum.

What to do with your list this week

Write your list in the eight groups, mark each service flat rate, hourly or per unit, and put your visit minimum at the top. Then quote the next call from it.

Already sent a quote? Upload it to the estimate checker and see if it's priced too low. Taking on bigger jobs? Read types of construction contracts before you sign one.