GeoCalendarHow it is worked out
A trip from base is driven twice, out and back, so the miles are twice the distance and the minutes are those miles times the minutes per mile. The cost is the minutes times the hourly wage of each person who goes, plus the miles times the cost of each mile.
Each mile farther from base adds two miles of driving and the minutes they take, so a mile of distance costs twice what a mile driven does. That is why one flat fee cannot suit your nearest and your farthest customers at once.
A visit that falls between two others on the same side of town is not a trip from base. It costs only the extra driving it adds to that day, so put in the minutes and miles you would add.
The wage is pay only, before employer taxes and benefits, so the real cost is higher. The calculator works out what a trip costs you. What you charge for it is your decision.
Where the defaults come from
- The hourly wage is the median for heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers in the US Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational data, May 2025.
- The cost per mile is the IRS standard mileage rate for business use in force from July 1, 2026.
- Ten miles from base, two minutes a mile, and a detour of ten minutes and three miles on a route are the worked example from our post on trip charges. Replace all of them with your own.
Common questions
How do I calculate a trip charge?
Double the distance from base for the round trip. Multiply those miles by a vehicle cost per mile, such as the IRS business rate, and add the driving time multiplied by the hourly wage of each person who goes. That is what the trip costs; the charge should cover it.
How much does a trip cost by distance?
At $29.33 an hour, 76 cents a mile and two minutes a mile, a customer 10 miles from base costs about $35 to reach and return from, and one 20 miles away about $70: roughly $3.50 for every mile of distance.
Should the trip charge be lower when I am already nearby?
The trip costs less then. A visit between two others on the same side of town may add ten minutes and three miles, about $7 at the same rates. Some businesses waive or reduce the fee for customers who take a day when a technician is already in their area.
Read more
- Trip charges: when to charge for distance, and how much
- How to set a service area
- Windshield time: what it costs and how to cut it at booking
- Drive-time cost calculator: what the driving between jobs costs in a year