How Much Does it Cost to Hire an Electrician?

How much do electricians charge?

Does your home have flickering lights, trippy circuit breakers, or another electrical problem? Whatever issue your home’s electric system is having, you should get it addressed by a pro before it can worsen. The cost to hire an electrician can vary depending on many factors, but most homeowners pay between $176 and $327 for a service call.

One of the key cost factors is what job you need your electrician to do. Tasks like replacing a power outlet or switch are much more affordable than bigger home improvement projects like installing a generator. Additionally, the total costs for your electrician service will be affected by travel time, material costs, and hourly rates.

Keep reading, and we’ll break down all of these various factors that can influence the cost of an electrician so you’ll know what to expect before scheduling your service.

Factors that affect the price of hiring an electrician

What you need them to do

The average electrician’s hourly rate ranges between $70 and $131, so the longer your service call takes, the more expensive it will be. Since not all electrical jobs are equally complex, they don’t all take the same amount of time. This means that the amount you pay to hire an electrician will significantly depend on what job you hire them to do.

Additionally, different jobs require different materials, meaning you’ll pay more for the parts for some jobs.

While other factors like travel time, your electrician’s experience level, and labor minimums can all result in additional costs over what we’ve listed below, this table can give you a pretty good idea of what you may pay for common electrical jobs: 

Average prices for different electrical projects

How experienced they are

Professional electricians are broken out into three tiers depending on how much experience they have:

• Apprentice electricians are the least experienced. In fact, they don’t even have their licenses yet, so they usually have to work with a licensed electrician. If they meet certain qualifications, they can be hired for some solo work.
• Journeyman electricians are licensed professionals who have completed their apprenticeships, so they have much more know-how and on-the-job experience than apprentices. 
• Master electricians have even more experience than journeymen and have passed the prestigious master electrician exam, qualifying them for the toughest electrical jobs in residential and commercial construction.

Labor costs for more experienced electricians are typically higher, so if you want to call out a highly experienced professional to service your home, you should expect to pay more. Sometimes, though, the complexity of the job or the availability of licensed professionals in your area will make this decision for you. 

How far they have to travel

The time it takes your electrician to get to your home may factor into your final costs. This usually isn’t a big deal if you live in a city where lots of electricians have set up shop, but if you live in a remote town that takes a few hours to reach, you’ll likely pay a significant travel fee. This is especially true if the electrician has to make multiple trips for supplies.

If the job is an emergency

Emergencies happen, and sometimes, you need an electrician to restore your power or inspect a burning smell from an outlet in the middle of the night. It’s better to take care of these electrical emergencies as soon as you notice them. Be warned that many electricians charge premiums for emergency service calls that happen outside their regular business hours.

Luckily, you rarely have to worry about these premiums for huge jobs like electrical panel upgrades, changing an older home’s electrical wiring, or generator installation since these bigger projects can almost always be planned out months in advance.

The age and accessibility of your electrical components

If your home is pretty old and still has all of its original outlets, light fixtures, and wiring, you could pay more for electrical repairs than someone living in a home built in the last 10–20 years. This is largely because older parts aren’t easily repaired and may require wholesale replacement.

Component accessibility can similarly impact the final costs of electrical work. If a job requires your electrician to crack open your drywall, climb into your attic, or access a crawlspace, your price may increase. 

Electrician pricing tiers

The budget option

Whatever else you do to save money on home improvement, do not attempt electrical repairs yourself. Even small electrical jobs like replacing an outlet or installing a fan can carry a significant risk of electric shock, fire, and even death. No matter what repairs your home’s electric system needs, leave them to professionals rather than attempting a DIY job.

Instead, keep your costs as low as possible by limiting the scope of the project (i.e., simply replacing a faulty outlet instead of getting a full inspection of your home’s wiring) and scheduling repairs well in advance. If the job you need done is fairly standard, you can also hire a journeyman or even an apprentice electrician instead of getting a master on the case. 

The mid-range option

If you can afford to pay your electrician for a few extra hours of work, it wouldn’t hurt to get your electrical system’s various components diagnosed rather than just making whatever repairs are immediately obvious.

This will likely turn up a few extra issues to solve, like replacing some wiring or installing a new circuit breaker, which can add extra costs if you decide to go for them. On the plus side, getting all the repairs and upgrades your electrician recommends will make your home more reliable and efficient. 

The high-end option

If you’re ready to overhaul your home’s electrical system (maybe as part of a larger remodel) and have tens of thousands of dollars to throw at the project, it’s best to get a master electrician on the job. That way, you’ll get a new electrical system that’s been carefully designed by a highly qualified and experienced contractor.

While you’re at it, upgrading your electrical system by installing solar panels could be highly beneficial. Going solar will increase this project’s costs considerably, making your home’s electrical system as self-reliant and eco-friendly as possible.

How to pay for your electrical service

Run-of-the-mill electrical service calls are affordable, especially compared to more extensive home improvement projects. If your home has considerable electrical issues, the costs can quickly become burdensome, especially if you don’t have room in the budget to take care of them now. You might want to look into some financing options if this is the case.

Your best financing option is almost always to work with your electrical contractor on a payment plan. This will work like a loan, so your debt will accrue interest, and you’ll have to meet your contractor’s terms, but contractor financing usually has fair terms and conditions. This will depend on the company you hire for your service, though.

If the contractors you hire don’t offer financing or the terms don’t agree with you, you can look into these other financing options to find one that works better for your unique needs: 

• Home equity lines of credit
• Personal loans
• Home equity loans

If your total costs exceed more than a few hundred dollars, we advise against paying with a credit card. While they’re convenient, most credit cards have very steep interest rates, so you often pay significantly more than you have to when you use them for costly home improvement projects that take a long time to pay off. 

Other factors to consider

Diagnostic fees

Before they repair anything, your electrician will inspect the problematic component or portion of your home’s electric system to diagnose its issues. This will allow them to fully understand the malfunction and rectify its root cause(s). 

Of course, because they take up the electrician’s time, these diagnostic inspections come with additional fees. These fees are typically included in the electrician’s final estimate if you hire them. However, if you decide not to hire the electrician to solve the issue they diagnosed, you’ll still have to pay for the diagnosis. 

Electrical inspections and permits

Significant electrical work (basically any job bigger than replacing a light fixture or ceiling fan) usually requires a permit, though exactly what’s required will depend on where you live. Luckily, your contractors can pull the necessary permits for you. You’ll need to pay them for this, though; it can sometimes cost a few hundred dollars.

Additionally, after a large electrical project, like rewiring a home or upgrading a service panel, is complete, an electrical inspection is required to ensure everything is up to code. Your contractors will be able to walk you through setting up the home inspection, and you should expect it to cost several hundred dollars as well. 

Getting your electrical system in order

Now that you know all there is to know about the hourly rates electricians charge, the typical costs of common electrical jobs, and what to expect permits and inspections to cost, the next step is to get a quote from a local electrician or two. Only then will you know exactly how much you’ll pay to get your home’s electrical system serviced.