---
title: "Jobber Flat Rate Pricing: Build and Maintain Task Prices"
description: "Jobber flat rate pricing: build each task price from labor and materials, enter it in Products & Services, and reprice when copper or wages rise."
author: "Pricebookr Team"
date: "2026-10-15"
tags: "Jobber, flat rate pricing, price book"
source: "https://www.pricebookr.com/blog/jobber-flat-rate-pricing"
---

# Jobber Flat Rate Pricing: Build and Maintain Task Prices

**Jobber flat rate pricing works by saving each flat-rate task as one Product or Service with a single unit price, so your techs pick "Replace AC disconnect + whip" instead of adding up hours and parts.** Jobber does not build that price from labor and material components for you, so the math happens before the item is saved, and it has to be redone whenever wages or supplier costs move.

This guide covers how to turn a flat-rate task into a Jobber line item, what to put in each field, and how to keep those prices from quietly losing margin. If you are still deciding whether flat rate suits your shop at all, start with [flat rate vs time and materials pricing](https://www.pricebookr.com/blog/flat-rate-vs-time-and-materials-pricing).

## Does Jobber support flat rate pricing?

Yes, in the sense that any saved Product or Service can carry a fixed unit price that a tech adds to a quote, job or invoice from the app. Jobber's [Products & Services help article](https://help.getjobber.com/hc/en-us/articles/115009735848) lists the fields each saved item holds: item type, name, description, unit cost, markup, unit price, an optional photo and a tax-exempt setting. Unit cost and markup are available on select Jobber plans.

What Jobber's item does not hold is a recipe. There is no field for "1.5 labor hours plus these three parts." That is the main difference from tools built around flat-rate books. Housecall Pro's [flat rate pricing overview](https://help.housecallpro.com/en/articles/5461788-flat-rate-pricing-overview), for example, describes services that generate a price from labor rates, materials and material markups. In Jobber, the task price is a number you calculate and type in.

A Jobber community coach answering a plumber's question about [flat-rate software that links with Jobber](https://community.getjobber.com/discussions/service-based-skilled-trades/flat-rate-software-that-links-w-jobber/14939) said most dedicated flat-rate software does not integrate natively, and suggested building the menu in Products & Services and updating prices in bulk by CSV when costs change.

## How do you build a flat-rate task price for a Jobber line item?

Price the task from its full cost, then set the selling price from a target gross margin. Gross margin is (price − cost) ÷ price. Markup is (price − cost) ÷ cost. They are different numbers, and mixing them up is the most common flat-rate error; [markup vs margin for contractors](https://www.pricebookr.com/blog/markup-vs-margin-for-contractors) explains the difference.

The table below is a **worked example, not a benchmark**. It assumes a loaded labor cost of $52 per billable hour and a 55% target gross margin. Your loaded cost should include payroll taxes, insurance, benefits and unbillable time; see [how to calculate your labor burden rate](https://www.pricebookr.com/blog/how-to-calculate-labor-burden-rate). For reference, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a [median HVAC mechanic wage of $29.33 per hour](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/heating-air-conditioning-and-refrigeration-mechanics-and-installers.htm) in May 2025, before any burden.

| Component (worked example: Replace AC disconnect + whip) | Quantity | Unit cost | Extended cost |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Labor, loaded cost per billable hour | 1.5 hours | $52.00 | $78.00 |
| 60A non-fused disconnect | 1 | $24.00 | $24.00 |
| Copper whip, 6 ft | 1 | $22.00 | $22.00 |
| Fittings, connectors and straps | 1 lot | $10.00 | $10.00 |
| **Total task cost** |  |  | **$134.00** |
| **Flat-rate price at 55% gross margin** ($134.00 ÷ 0.45, rounded) |  |  | **$298.00** |

At $298.00, the markup on cost is about 122.4%, which is the same 55% margin seen from the other side. You can check any row with the [margin and markup calculator](https://www.pricebookr.com/tools/margin-markup-calculator).

## What should go in each Jobber field for a flat-rate task?

Each field has a job. Filling them consistently is what makes a flat-rate menu usable on a phone in a customer's driveway.

- **Name:** the task as the customer would understand it, with the scope limit that changes the price, such as "Run 20A circuit, up to 50 ft." Techs pick tasks by name, so keep a consistent verb-first pattern.
- **Description:** what is included and excluded, written for the customer. It appears with the line item on the quote.
- **Unit cost:** the full task cost from your build-up, labor included, if your plan supports cost. That keeps Jobber's quote margin view honest. If your plan does not, keep cost in your own records; our note on [Jobber Core and Connect margins](https://www.pricebookr.com/blog/jobber-core-connect-margins) covers that case.
- **Unit price:** the flat rate from your build-up.
- **Type:** most flat-rate repairs are sold as a Service. Jobber's Category column means Product or Service, not a trade folder; see [Jobber price book categories](https://www.pricebookr.com/blog/jobber-price-book-categories).

For good-better-best selling, the same coach suggested optional line items on quotes, so a customer can choose between a repair and an upgrade. Each option is still its own saved item with its own build-up. [Good-better-best pricing](https://www.pricebookr.com/blog/good-better-best-pricing-for-contractors) covers how to space the tiers.

## Why do Jobber flat-rate prices lose margin over time?

Because the unit price is a typed number, not a formula. When copper, fittings or wages go up, the cost behind each task rises and the Jobber price stays where it was. Nothing in the list tells you which tasks drifted.

Material costs have moved fast. In the BLS Producer Price Index, [copper wire and cable](https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/WPU10260314) rose from 473.485 in August 2025 to 602.480 in August 2026, up 27.2%. [Plumbing fixture fittings and trim](https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/WPU1054) rose from 431.266 to 453.198, up 5.1%. Both August 2026 values are preliminary, and the PPI measures producer prices, not your supply-house invoice. Treat it as direction and speed.

The next table applies those two changes to the copper and trim parts of three tasks, plus an **assumed** 4% labor cost increase (to $54.08 an hour). Every other part is held flat. All three tasks started at a 55% margin with labor at $52.00. It is a worked example, not a measured result.

| Task (worked example) | Cost a year ago | Cost now | Jobber price (unchanged) | Margin now | Price to restore 55% |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Run 20A circuit, up to 50 ft (2.5 h; $60 copper cable; $25 other) | $215.00 | $236.52 | $478.00 | 50.5% | $526.00 |
| Replace AC disconnect + whip (1.5 h; $22 copper whip; $34 other) | $134.00 | $143.10 | $298.00 | 52.0% | $318.00 |
| Replace faucet cartridge (1 h; $38 trim parts; $4 other) | $94.00 | $98.02 | $209.00 | 53.1% | $218.00 |

The copper-heavy circuit task lost 4.5 points of margin; the faucet task lost 1.9. An across-the-board 5% increase would overcharge one and undercharge the other. Flat rates need repricing task by task, from cost, which is why [adjusting prices when material costs rise](https://www.pricebookr.com/blog/how-to-adjust-pricing-when-material-costs-rise) starts with the cost behind each item.

## How do you update flat-rate prices in Jobber when costs change?

Recalculate the affected tasks outside Jobber, then load the new numbers in one pass. A practical sequence:

1. Keep the build-up for every task (labor hours plus parts) in one place, such as a spreadsheet tab per trade.
2. When a supplier sheet or wage change arrives, update the component costs and recalculate each task's cost and price at your target margin.
3. Export Products & Services from Jobber, paste the new unit costs and prices, and re-import with "Update existing items" checked. Jobber's help article says that option overwrites matching items' unit cost, unit price, description, taxable status and category. Our [guide to bulk updating a Jobber price list](https://www.pricebookr.com/blog/how-to-bulk-update-jobber-price-list) covers the file mechanics.
4. Decide what to do about open quotes. Jobber says editing a saved item does not change line items already on quotes, jobs or invoices.

Run the whole list on a schedule as well as on supplier letters. Our [price book audit](https://www.pricebookr.com/blog/price-book-audit) checklist includes a labor-assumption check, which is the step flat-rate books most often skip.

If the spreadsheet step is the part that breaks down, a catalog tool can hold the cost behind each price. In [Pricebookr](https://www.pricebookr.com/), an item's cost is material cost plus labor cost, a [markup schedule](https://www.pricebookr.com/docs/markup-schedules) prices items from that total, and hand-set prices stay fixed. You preview changes before applying them and confirm a separate push to Jobber's Products & Services.

## FAQ

### Can Jobber calculate a flat-rate price from labor and materials?

No. A Jobber Product or Service holds one unit price, plus unit cost and markup on plans that support them. It does not store labor hours or a parts list behind that price. Calculate the flat rate from labor and materials first, then enter the result as the item's unit price. Recalculate it when costs or wages change.

### Is there flat-rate software that integrates with Jobber?

Few dedicated flat-rate tools connect to Jobber natively, according to a Jobber community coach answering that question. The common options are to build the flat-rate menu directly in Jobber's Products & Services, update it in bulk by CSV, or keep prices in a separate catalog tool that pushes them to Products & Services. Confirm what any tool actually writes to Jobber before relying on it.

### Does changing a flat-rate price in Jobber update existing quotes?

No. Jobber's help center says updating or deleting a saved Product or Service does not change line items already added to quotes, jobs or invoices. New prices apply the next time the item is added. Decide separately whether to honor open quotes at the old price or requote them.

### How often should I update flat-rate prices in Jobber?

Update affected tasks whenever a supplier changes a major part cost or your loaded labor rate changes, and review the full flat-rate list at least quarterly. Copper wire and cable producer prices rose 27.2% between August 2025 and August 2026 in preliminary BLS data, so copper-heavy tasks may need checking more often.