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Side Job Rate Calculator

What to charge for side work so you're not giving up your Saturday for less than your day job pays. It counts the hours nobody pays you for, wear on your truck and tools, insurance and tax, then shows how your rate compares with what tradespeople around the world say they charge.

1. You

Your trade Where you work Day-job wage CAD/hr Your time is worth at least Benefits your employer adds % (pension, vacation) What your shop bills you out at CAD/hr, optional

2. The job

One side job. Unbillable time is the part most people forget: quoting, the drive, the materials run, cleanup.

Hours on site Unbillable hours quote, drive, pickup Minimum you bill hours Round-trip distance km Vehicle cost CAD/km Materials cost CAD Materials markup %

3. Costs of doing it right

Tool and truck wear CAD per hour on site Liability insurance CAD per year Side jobs per year Tax set-aside % of profit, to put aside Risk and callback margin %

How you compare

What tradespeople in r/Construction said they charge for side work, converted to USD per hour.

$0$40$80$120$160 USD/hr

What tradespeople in r/Construction said they charge

Trade	Where	Side-work rate	What they said

Self-reported in one November 2026 thread, so treat it as a gut check, not a survey. Currencies converted at rough rates (1 CAD = 0.72 USD, 1 AUD = 0.65 USD). Darker dots match your trade.

Rules of thumb from the trades

Never below your overtime rate. It's a weekend. Several tradespeople set their floor at what an extra shift would pay.
Between double your wage and half your shop's rate. You're cheaper than the company and still well paid.
Set a minimum. A 2-hour minimum, a half-day minimum, or a first-hour charge that covers getting there.
Price by the job when you can. A fixed price covers the detail that always takes longer, and nobody times your breaks.
Count the truck and tools. Wear and fuel eat a cheap rate faster than you think.
Get insured. One hit water line on a third floor can cost more than a decade of side jobs.
Declare it. Side income is taxable. Set the tax aside on every job so it isn't a surprise in April.

Built by TradeBrain from a busy r/Construction thread where tradespeople compared what they charge for side work. The defaults are starting points. Something off? Tell us and we'll fix it.