A tap washer. Twenty minutes on site. Forty minutes in the van. You charged “half an hour.” That job paid at a child’s rate and blocked a real one. The minimum exists so the washer still covers the drive.
A simple working
Minimum = (hours there and back + minimum on-site hours) × true hourly rate
Worked: rate £40/hour. Typical round trip 45 minutes (0.75h). You will not diary less than 1 hour on site. Minimum = 1.75 × £40 = £70. Materials extra. If the first hour on site is included, say so, then £40 per hour after.
| Line | Hours | £ |
|---|---|---|
| Round-trip travel | 0.75 | £30 |
| Minimum on site | 1.00 | £40 |
| Call-out / minimum | £70 |
If your hourly already swallowed van costs for the year, you still sell the minutes in the van. Overheads in the rate and travel on the job are not the same hole. The minimum is time you cannot sell to anyone else.
What people miss
A round £40 because it sounds friendly. Friendly is how the washer costs you a boiler lead.
Waiving it “because you’re local.” Local still used diesel and a slot. Discount on purpose, not by habit.
Not saying it until you arrive. Put it on the WhatsApp price. Surprise call-outs feel like a fine.
Call-out plus the same hours again. If the first hour is in the minimum, do not bill it twice.
Related guides
FAQ
- Call-out vs first hour?
- Pick one story. Either the minimum includes the first hour, or it is a travel fee plus time. Write it.
- Two jobs in the same street?
- You can split travel. Do not charge two full round trips if you did one loop — unless they each booked you from opposite ends of the day.
- Should the customer see the maths?
- They need the number. You need the maths. A single “minimum visit £70” is enough.
- What if the job grows?
- Minimum still holds. Extra hours at the rate. Do not drop the minimum because they found more work.
