How To Charge For Mowing Lawns

What Should I Beware Of

One thing to be mindful of when comparing lawn-mowing prices is whether the quote youre getting seems reasonable.

Also, keep in mind that a lawn-mowing professional or company might try to bump up the price simply because you live in a fancy neighborhood. Why? Because they think you can afford it, Farley says.

Regardless of what sort of neighborhood you live in, there are some things you can do to avoid lawn care rip-offs. The Better Business Bureau, Better Homes & Gardens, HomeAdvisor and the National Association of Lawn Care Professionals offer these tips:

What Is The Average Price Range Most People Charge For Lawn Mowing Services

The US national average for how much people charge for their lawn care services can be as little as $50 or as much as $250. This is the typical amount for a single job, whether charging by the hour or some other arrangement.

To make themselves more desirable, many pros will also offer things like trimming, fertilizing, aeration and pesticide treatments. Theyll charge anywhere between $125 and $430 for these services.

Are You An Employee Or Independent Contractor

The first thing you need to know is your tax status. If you have a lawn care business, youre an independent contractor or sole proprietor. You may even be a partnership, LLC, or corporation if youve grown.

The only times you would be an employee are if youre working for someone elses lawn care business or if youre on the in-house maintenance team for a large business. If youre an employee, youll get a W-2 and file a basic tax return. This post is a guide for business owners.

Read Also: Does Vinegar Kill Foxtail Grass

How To Save Money On Lawn Care Services

If you love the idea of professional lawn care but not the added household expense, think strategically about signing on for the long term with a lawn company. “Lawn mowing is a competitive business,” says one lawn care pro. As a result, many companies will negotiate discounts and deals based on frequency of visits.

If you are planning to become a regular customer, ask about package rates and bundling lawn mowing and trimming with other lawn care services such as landscaping and fertilization. Lawn care pros benefit by providing you with multiple services, your pocketbook benefits from the discounts, and your lawn benefits from the holistic care.

What Is A Fair Hourly Rate Or Lawn Care Are You Getting Ripped Off

So youre about to hire a lawn care service and youre wondering.

What is a fair price to pay for landscaping?

Or what is a fair hourly rate to pay for lawn care services?

The good news is that you’re not alone,

Look, the fact is, this is a question we often get running the GreenPal platform. And, helping homeowners all over America find, schedule, and pay local lawn care services.

It gets better. We decided to research to get to the bottom of what is a fair hourly rate to pay for lawn mowing services.

Here is what we learned!

You May Like: How Much Does It Cost To Hire Someone To Mow Your Lawn

Experience Of The Lawn Care Provider

A service providers training, experience, and expertise can affect your total lawn care costs. If youre hiring a pro who is new to the industry, you can expect to pay much less than hiring a pro with years of experience. Keep in mind that hiring a more experienced professional is likely to provide better results.

How Much Should I Charge To Mow Half An Acre

Correspondingly, how much should I charge to mow 4 acres?

Beside above, how much does it cost to have 5 acres mowed? As far as 5 acres of mowing, I would be around $240 with a little trimming, or more with a lot of trimming.

In this way, how much should I charge to mow a lawn?

Average lawn mowing prices range from about $30 to $80 per visit, depending on square footage, and large cutting projects can cost more as a result. Most lawn care services charge a flat rate per visit for lawn cutting and additional fees for extra services like edging, leaf-blowing or seasonal cleanup visits.

How long does it take to mow .25 acres?

Average Lawn Mowing Time

Also Check: Bioadvanced Fungus Control

How Much Money Should I Charge If Im Just A Kid

You should aim your prices a little lower. Remember, you dont have to worry about big financial stuff like paying rent or buying groceries yet, and since you cant operate the heavy machinery needed for bigger jobs, you should stick to smaller jobs in your neighborhood or wherever your parents are willing to drive you. As such, aim for something a little smaller like $20-$30.

Pricing Guide: How Much Does Lawn Care Cost

How much does lawn care cost? That depends on what lawn care services you need. While mowing costs on average $29 to $65, yard cleanup prices range from $170.50 to $374.30, and overseeding will typically cost $336 to $1,010 depending on the size of your lawn.

The golden rule: The size of your yard and the services you require will have the most significant impact on how much you spend on lawn care.

Our pricing guide should help you estimate how much different lawn care services will cost you. Well review their prices, how the services can benefit your lawn, and what other factors can affect total cost.

Read Also: Lawn Mower Rental Lowes

What Are The Key Factors That Influence Lawn Mowing Charges

Of course, the cost of lawn mowing depends on some key variables, from the type of work required to the condition of the lawn, to the equipment needed to do a good job and beyond. Weve broken down the primary factors into three categories to see how the price of lawn mowing can most often be affected. These factors may then be used to assess and score a lawn to help provide a reasonable price for lawn mowing.

Note that below we are focussed on factors that influence your cost to supply, we are deliberatly not covering factors of the cost from the demand side such as seasonal demand changes and of course very unusual circumstances that might reduce demand such as COVID-19.

Lawn Mowing Cost Per Week

Regular lawn mowing once a week will run you an average of $30 to $80 per visit. Weekly costs are generally calculated based on the property size and type of work being done. Weekly mowing service is the most common contract option, especially during peak growing season, normally the spring and summer. This is because your lawn will grow faster, and the watering, sunshine, and fertilizer continue to nourish it.

You May Like: Toro Mowers At Lowes

Sod Or Turf Installation

For obvious reasons, turf installation is an expensive process. Whether you are installing sod, or artifical turf, its a labor-intensive process which requires expensive materials to complete.

You should expect to pay as much as $4,800 for this to be done professionally.

Before the company gives you a quote for a flat rate, it will need to visit your property to determine its size.

Some companies can do the estimate remotely via satellite images.

How To Choose The Right Lawn Mowing Service

In order to choose the right lawn mowing service for you, you will first need to establish your specific needs. If you are after a quick and easy one-off lawn mowing, then you can risk taking the lowest quote. Whereas, if you are looking for an ongoing lawn mowing service you should lift the bar. You will want to entrust someone who will always arrive on time, work fast yet efficiently and ultimately improves your lawns health and look.

At Service.com.au we suggest choosing a lawn mowing service who also provides general garden maintenance. Such as fertilising, weed control, aerating and so on. So if you do require additional services they are readily available, rather than having to hire another company.

You can browse through a number of professional lawn mowing companies or individuals on Service.com.au. You will find easy access to a variety of professionals within your proximity.

You should consider whether you want to enter a contractual agreement or work on a more casual basis. Some people just want a few months of help restoring their lawn back to good condition and others may require an ongoing service all year round.

Also Check: Husqvarna 961430115

First Set A Price For Lawn Mowing Services

Wondering how much lawn care costs, including mowing? Short answer, it depends. Here are a few factors that can influence what you charge:

Your experience: Seasoned lawn care professionals can charge more for their services. But when youre building your customer base, you may need to start with a lower price point. Then, once you get a few customers under your belt, you can raise them incrementally.

The location of your business: Theres an amount that people in your area are willing to pay for lawn care services. Do some research to find out that amount. Higher-end neighborhoods and businesses will often pay more. Meanwhile, lower-income neighborhoods usually want lower pricesor they might not need your services at all. Call a few lawn care companies in your area. Ask their prices. Then use those numbers as a starting point on how to price your lawn care services.

If you work with businesses or residents: Most commercial businesses who value quality are willing to pay top dollar. Homeowners, on the other hand, may be more budget conscious. Caveatall of this depends on your area, of course. Poke around. Do some research. Find out which clients are willing to pay more in your area.

How Much To Charge For Lawn Mowing

Along with fast food, retail, or babysitting, one of the few options available to teens just entering the work world is that of mowing lawns for pocket change.

But what many people fail to realize is how profitable running a lawn mowing business can be if you play your cards right.

The landscaping business has grown over the past decade to be an almost $100 billion industry, supporting around 1 million workers and half-a-million small businesses.

So, how much should you charge for each lawn mowing job if you want to make a living?

Also Check: Murry Lawn Mower Part

Average Cost Of Lawn Mowing Per Square Foot

On average, you can expect to pay anywhere between $0.01 to $0.05 per sq.ft. for mowing. Mowing costs are sometimes calculated by the square foot, especially for smaller yards. Keep in mind that as the size of the area approaches a full acre, your costs may switch to acreage to make the estimates more accurate. Your professional may also choose to charge by square footage if your yard has large, landscaped areas.

Aim For The Middle Of The Range

Id recommend starting to price somewhere in the middle of the range for your area so that youre not too cheap or too expensive.

People can be wary if they see a price that is too low, it can give the impression that they wont be getting the best quality.

If youre too expensive, you wont get hired in the first place. Charging top prices will usually require you to have built up a reputation over time. In the beginning, you wont have a name for yourself so youll need to get your foot in the door first. Be fair and set a reasonable price.

Even if you make a mistake in your initial pricing, its not really too much of an issue. There wont be any contracts involved and you can adjust up or down as needed.

Recommended Reading: What Type Of Oil Does A Craftsman Lawn Mower Take

Making Adjustments To Limit Mistakes

As Ive mentioned before and will again youre going to make some mistakes, especially in the beginning. But there are ways to limit the number of mistakes you make and ways to learn from them so that you tighten down your bidding system.

Its one thing to screw up a bid or two, but its another to lose money on an ongoing and regular basis. The first and best way to figure out if this is happening is to do a day in review. When you get home after a long day of mowing, look back on that days activities and do some quick math.

For example let’s suppose that its 6pm and you just finished up a long 10 hour day.

Based on the man hour figure we came up with, you should’ve earned $520 for that day

But what if you didn’t?

Suppose you grossed only $480.

On the surface of it, you might say, oh well, close enough. But not acknowledging this factor and not figuring out where the leak is the #1 cause of the utter failure of many lawn care businesses.

As you review your day, you realize that you spent an hour and a half at Mr. Squinchmeyer’s house but in your bid, you quoted him $39, or about 45 minutes.

What’s more.. It turns out that you screwed the pooch here and way under bid this job. Sure, one job once per week isn’t going to kill you, but think of it this way

If you waste $40 once per week every week that comes out to over $2,000 that you’re simply pissing away!

Doesn’t seem so small now, does it?

And what if you have 3 or 4 Mr. Squinchmeyers?

Will he stick with you?

Similar Sized Yards Can Take Different Amounts Of Time

You can now begin to establish a relationship between the time it takes you to finish a job, and the amount you get paid.

Youll start to notice that not all your jobs will take the same amount of time, even if the size of the yard is the same. Maybe a certain property has lots of trees in the yard, or the customer has to let you in the gate before you can start and wants to chat for fifteen minutes beforehand. Maybe you have to drive well out of your way to get to a job. These are all different factors that can change the amount of time it takes you to finish. Youll want to factor these things in to your pricing.

You need to start recognising that certain properties wont give you the best hourly rate. Perhaps you want to start avoiding certain properties but at the very least, you should be adjusting your pricing accordingly.

Don’t Miss: Riding Lawn Mower Disposal

Cost Of Weeding Your Lawn

Wedding your lawn is also very important maintenance. Removing unwanted and unsightly weeds is a sure way to improve the appearance of your lawn. If you have a regular lawn care professional who does your weekly mowing and trimming, you can ask them to get rid of the weeds on their next visit. There are a couple ways to go about weeding your lawn. You can pull them regularly or you can kill them with chemicals designed for the job for a more permanent solution.

The average cost of weeding is about $12 and $40 per hour, depending on which method you choose and how many weeds you have. Using weed killer is usually the more expensive route and cost closer to the $25 – $40 per hour mark since you are paying for labor and the chemicals.

Many weed killers are environmentally safe and pet friendly, but some are not. Be sure to consult a lawn care professional before making decisions on which path to take.

Pricing A Job Advicefor New Start

Pricing a job is one of the more difficult things for new start-ups. You don’t want to over-charge, but you don’t want to under-charge either. If your price is too high, people will look to someone else. If it is too low, you may not make enough profit to keep you going. It is hard to raise your prices once they are established without upsetting your customers.

This page is designed to get you to think outside the box and look at the effects of pricing a job incorrectly. It hopefully will show you how to save money on expenses and get the price you need.

The first thing you have probably noticed is that lawn care these days is extremely competitive making pricing a job intimidating at first. Our economy is not helping. What adds to the complexity is that many individuals have started a part-time lawn mowing business to help bring in extra money. They often work under the table just for the cash. Some of these have made a practice of pricing low to get the job. However, while it is great for the customer, a lot of customers are aware of this and understand that people that are not in it for the long haul are often not in business long. You will see why as you read this.

Secondly, it is important to know that times have changed and price really does matters more than ever. People are now geared to look for a low price, especially people on fixed incomes. Who can blame them?

More discriminating customers will want good quality, but still are on the lookout for a decent price.

Also Check: Does Baking Soda Kill Clover Mites