Mileage charge??

[adamacrinstall]

Hi guys I'm self employed and at the min I charge 0.40 per mile I want to include my time per hour in this charge now. I charge 21.00 per hour so I have worked out that mileage I should charge including the 0.40 is a total of 0.86 do you guys think this is too much what figure do you think I should be at as I don't want to charge to much or not enought just some ideas would be nice please gents (sensible ones) please.

[The Viking]

It's all about value for money. Cost VS benefit.

Initially £21 /Hr sounds cheap to me but I'm based in London and I also don't know what services and level of service you are offering.

For filter bashing I would expect less than £21 but for serious troubleshooting of a VRF I would expect to pay more than £21. For an installation on the other hand I wouldn't expect to be given an hourly rate...

Or are you subcontracting? If so than it is a completely different kettle of fish and it would be worth checking what rates you can get away with.

[charlie patt]

at 21 a hr why have the hassel most engineers are pushing around the 14 hr employed so self employed at 21 seems extremley low to me..... times you pay your van your insurance your liability you would be better working for someone else VARIOUS FIRMS CHARGE service call or travel or just time it depends on area customer base and customer requirements going to cornwall in the winter is easy for us go at a bank holl after ten on the 39 or hit indian queens you sit there like a lemon and waste a hr but different area different traffic also it varies on what you work on and what your parts are priced at do you have one customer with mulitple work or varied and the main one what does your rivals charge

[adamacrinstall]

Cheers I will check around. At the min I have 2 customers who give me my work. It's mainly service calls with the odd install on price. And I cover anywhere in the uk.

[Magoo]

Generally serviceman charges are recovered on a basis of 120% of labour rate paid per hour to serviceman, to recover all overhead costs, these are forgotten hidden costs and expensive. Vehicle km charges should include all servicing and compliance costs insurances etc., including depreciation and replacement of vehicle, fuel costs is the smallest costs per km. Too many self employed operaters get to the end of their second year and say " great sales and turn over cash flow etc, where the hell has that all gone, I am still broke ". And the tax man wants his pound of flesh as well.
Best advise is talk to an accountant and get the real figures on operating costs and develop a break even point, a must charge out figure per day/week/month/year.