How should a pest control business price its services?

From the tech time each stop takes, the drive to it and the materials used, at an hourly rate that covers your wages, vehicles, licenses, insurance and profit over the hours your techs can actually bill. That depends on your own costs and route, so the calculator above works it out from your numbers instead of quoting another company's price.

How do I price a quarterly pest control plan?

Price the routine visit from its time, drive and materials, price the initial visit separately because it takes longer and uses more product, then add them up for the year: the initial visit plus the routine visits that follow. Divide by twelve if you bill monthly.

Why does the initial service cost more?

The first visit usually means a full inspection, treating inside and out, and knocking down an existing problem, so it takes more time and more material than a routine visit. Put the extra time and materials your techs really use into the calculator.

Should I price by home size?

Larger homes take longer to inspect and treat and use more product, so price grows with size. Time your techs on a few homes to find the fixed minutes every stop takes and the extra minutes per 1,000 square feet.

Should I charge monthly or per visit?

Many customers prefer an even monthly bill for a yearly plan. It is the same yearly price either way; the calculator shows the yearly total and the monthly figure.

Do I need a minimum charge per visit?

Every stop costs a drive and set-up whatever the size of the home, so a minimum charge keeps small homes from costing you money.

What should go into my pest control hourly rate?

Tech wages with payroll taxes, plus everything else you pay each month: vehicles and fuel, licenses and continuing education, insurance, equipment, software, phone, marketing and your own pay. Divide by the hours your techs spend on site, then divide by (1 minus your profit share).

How often should I update my pest control prices?

Whenever your costs move: product prices, fuel, insurance, a raise for your techs. Re-run your rate and your plan chart, and tell plan customers ahead of the change.

Pest control pricing

Pest control pricing calculator: price your service plans by home size

Price pest control from the tech time each stop takes, not from what another company charges. Work out what an hour your techs spend on site costs you, vehicles, licenses and insurance included, and add your profit: that is your hourly rate. Then price the routine visit from its time, drive and materials, price the initial visit on its own, and add them up into a yearly plan. The numbers in the calculator are examples; replace them with yours.

1. The hourly rate your pest control business needs

Count only time on site as billable; the drive is added to each stop below.

Techs Tech pay per hourwith payroll taxes and benefits $ Paid hours per tech per week Share of paid hours on sitethe rest is driving, loading, paperwork % Overhead per monthvehicles, licenses, insurance, equipment, software, your pay $ Profit you wantas a share of sales %

$67.23per tech-hour you need

$57.14break-even per tech-hour

4,725billable tech-hours a year

$317,647sales a year at that rate

Based on 50 working weeks: $270,000 a year in wages and overhead over 4,725 billable tech-hours.

2. Price a service plan

Time your own techs on a few homes; the fixed minutes cover set-up, the walk-around and talking with the customer.

Your hourly ratefilled in from step 1, rounded up $ Home size sq ft Fixed minutes per stop min Minutes per 1,000 sq ftroutine visit min Drive minutes to the stop min Materials per routine visit $ Extra on-site time, initial visit % Extra materials, initial visit $ Visits a year4 quarterly, 6 every two months, 12 monthly Minimum charge per visit $

$65per routine visit

$120initial visit

$315a year on the plan

$26.25a month, billed monthly

The year is the initial visit plus 3 routine visits. Prices rounded up to the nearest $5.

Round prices up to the nearest $5

3. Your service plan price chart

Built from your rate and times above, for 4 visits a year.

Home size	Routine visit	Initial visit	A year	A month
1,500 sq ft	$60	$110	$290	$24.17
2,000 sq ft	$65	$120	$315	$26.25
2,500 sq ft	$70	$130	$340	$28.33
3,000 sq ft	$75	$135	$360	$30.00
4,000 sq ft	$80	$155	$395	$32.92

How to price pest control, step by step

Know your billable hours. Time on site, not the hours you pay for. Driving, loading the truck and paperwork are paid but not billed.
Add up a year of costs. Tech wages with payroll taxes, plus vehicles and fuel, licenses and continuing education, insurance, equipment, software, marketing and your own pay.
Divide, then add profit. Costs ÷ billable hours is break-even. Divide again by (1 − your profit share) for your hourly rate.
Time your techs. Fixed minutes every stop takes, minutes per 1,000 square feet, and how much longer the initial visit runs.
Price the stop, drive and materials included. Then add the year: the initial visit plus the routine visits that follow, with a minimum per visit.
Re-run it when costs change. Product, fuel, insurance and wages all move.

Route density is part of the price

A tech can only be at one home at a time, and the minutes between homes are paid like the minutes in them. Every plan customer you add near the ones you already serve shortens the drive you price in. Put the real drive time into each quote and the price reflects it.

Your prices come from your costs. Your customers hear from the pest control companies around you.

MyIntelBrief watches the pest control companies near you — the services, plans and specials they post, their new reviews, the techs they’re hiring, new companies starting up — and emails you a short brief on what changed. Type your company name and pick it from the dropdown for a free look at who you’re competing with. Here’s a sample brief for a pest control company.

Step 1 of 2to get 4 weeks free: your business name

Your company’s name

Step 2 of 2 where should we send your 4 free briefs? Just email today’s demo, no weekly briefs

Just looking? Leave the email off to see your demo, no commitment. Add it for the 4 free weeks.

Free, no card. We’ll email you this brief, then a fresh one each week for 4 weeks, before you commit to anything. Unsubscribe anytime.

Works with the AI assistant you already use.

How?

Paste or forward a brief to any AI assistant you use and ask, for example, “what are my top 3 moves this week?” No setup. Briefs about your own business also attach a small data file made for it. Details for developers

Frequently asked questions

How should a pest control business price its services?: From the tech time each stop takes, the drive to it and the materials used, at an hourly rate that covers your wages, vehicles, licenses, insurance and profit over the hours your techs can actually bill. That depends on your own costs and route, so the calculator above works it out from your numbers instead of quoting another company's price.
How do I price a quarterly pest control plan?: Price the routine visit from its time, drive and materials, price the initial visit separately because it takes longer and uses more product, then add them up for the year: the initial visit plus the routine visits that follow. Divide by twelve if you bill monthly.
Why does the initial service cost more?: The first visit usually means a full inspection, treating inside and out, and knocking down an existing problem, so it takes more time and more material than a routine visit. Put the extra time and materials your techs really use into the calculator.
Should I price by home size?: Larger homes take longer to inspect and treat and use more product, so price grows with size. Time your techs on a few homes to find the fixed minutes every stop takes and the extra minutes per 1,000 square feet.
Should I charge monthly or per visit?: Many customers prefer an even monthly bill for a yearly plan. It is the same yearly price either way; the calculator shows the yearly total and the monthly figure.
Do I need a minimum charge per visit?: Every stop costs a drive and set-up whatever the size of the home, so a minimum charge keeps small homes from costing you money.
What should go into my pest control hourly rate?: Tech wages with payroll taxes, plus everything else you pay each month: vehicles and fuel, licenses and continuing education, insurance, equipment, software, phone, marketing and your own pay. Divide by the hours your techs spend on site, then divide by (1 minus your profit share).
How often should I update my pest control prices?: Whenever your costs move: product prices, fuel, insurance, a raise for your techs. Re-run your rate and your plan chart, and tell plan customers ahead of the change.

More pricing calculators for service businesses: cleaning, lawn care, plumbing, HVAC, auto repair, roofing, electrical and landscaping. See how MyIntelBrief works for home services.