Locksmith prices: what to charge as a locksmith

Start with a daytime hourly rate, about $82 in our example, then turn it into fixed prices for the jobs you do most. The steps:

1. 1Add up a year of business costs.
2. 2Add the pay you want before tax.
3. 3Divide by the hours you can bill to get your break-even rate, then add a margin.
4. 4Price each common job from the time it really takes, door to door, plus parts.
5. 5Set an after-hours surcharge on purpose, not on the spot.

Locksmiths sell speed. A customer locked out at 11 pm pays for you coming now, so your after-hours price should reflect what that call costs you.

Our example mobile locksmith spends $25,100 a year before taking any pay. The usual lines:

• Van: payment, commercial auto insurance, registration, maintenance and fuel. You drive to every job.
• Tools: picks, bypass tools, key machines, a code cutter and transponder programming equipment and its subscriptions.
• Stock: key blanks, cylinders, deadbolts, smart locks and hardware.
• Insurance: general liability and, if you hold customers' keys or work on safes, cover for that.
• Licensing and bonds where your state or city requires them.
• Phone, dispatch and invoicing software.
• Marketing: Google Business Profile, website and directory listings.

Check whether your state or city licenses locksmiths, and what the license and any background check cost. Rules differ by state.

Marketing is often a bigger line for locksmiths than other trades, because so much work comes from customers searching on their phone in a hurry.

Our example locksmith bills 1,080 of 2,160 hours on call, or 50%. Lockout work comes in bursts, and a lot of the day is driving and waiting.

Count it from your own calendar for two weeks. The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median wage of employed locksmiths and safe repairers at $24.68 an hour, or $51,320 a year, in May 2025. A self-employed rate has to be well above that, because you pay for the van, the tools and the unbilled hours yourself.

Self-employment tax is 15.3% of net earnings, on top of income tax. For 2026 the IRS sets out:

• Self-employment tax: 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare, owed once net earnings reach $400.
• The Social Security part stops at $184,500 of combined earnings for 2026.
• Estimated tax: usually required during the year if you expect to owe $1,000 or more.
• Federal income tax, plus state income tax in most states.

Sales tax on locks, keys and labor depends on your state, so check with your state's revenue department or your CPA.

These are example figures to show the method, not averages for locksmiths and not Ringzel customer data.

1. 1Time on call: 48 weeks x 45 hours = 2,160 hours.
2. 2Billable time: 50%, so 1,080 hours.
3. 3Break-even rate: $80,100 / 1,080 = $74.17 an hour.
4. 4Add a 10% margin: about $82 an hour for daytime work.

A daytime home lockout that takes an hour door to door comes out at about $82 before any parts. A rekey of a front and back door at 30 minutes each, plus pins, comes out at about $85 to $95.

Parts and stock go on top of these. Price them as their own line so the labor stays clear.

Angi puts a home lockout at $75 to $200 in 2026, based on 16,505 locksmith projects overall. Its prices next to HomeAdvisor's and Thumbtack's:

Sources: Angi's locksmith cost guide (updated 2 October 2026), HomeAdvisor's locksmith cost guide (updated 19 June 2026) and Thumbtack's car locksmith cost guide (updated 20 August 2026).

The example daytime lockout of about $82 sits at the low end of Angi's range. That's room to charge more, especially for car keys with transponders, which Thumbtack says cost significantly more because of the programming.

Most do: Angi says most locksmiths charge a flat service call fee of $35 to $100 that covers travel and diagnosis, then an hourly rate for bigger jobs.

Whatever you charge, say the full price on the phone, including any after-hours surcharge. A price that changes at the door is the fastest way to a bad review.

If the job turns out bigger than described, such as a high-security lock or a broken cylinder, stop and agree the new price before you carry on.

Angi puts the after-hours surcharge at $50 to $150 a visit, and HomeAdvisor puts it at $150 to $250 for nights, weekends or holidays. Set yours from:

• The lowest you'd get out of bed for.
• Whether you're paying someone else to be on call.
• Extra fuel and the next morning you lose.
• How many other locksmiths in your area actually answer at night.

Then decide which nights you answer at all. A call you can't take still needs answering, or the customer calls the next number. Our guide to after-hours answering services covers your options.

Fixed prices suit most residential work. Build each one from your hourly rate and your real time door to door, then add parts.

Write the price on the invoice before you start and get a signature or a text back. Disputes over locksmith prices are almost always about a total that changed at the door.

1. 1Rerun your costs every year, including programming subscriptions and insurance.
2. 2Raise fixed prices for new customers first; give property managers and repeat commercial clients notice.
3. 3Review your after-hours surcharge separately from the daytime rate.
4. 4Track quotes won and lost by job type. If you win every rekey, rekeys are too cheap.

At an example price of $150, inside Angi's $75 to $200 lockout range, a missed call that would have booked 7 times in 10 costs about $105. Someone locked out doesn't leave a voicemail and wait. They call the next locksmith in the results.

A missed call from a property manager is worth more, because one tenant turnover rekey can lead to the whole building. Read why customers call the next contractor, then put your own figures into our missed call calculator.

Ringzel is an AI receptionist for locksmiths and other small businesses. It answers every call 24/7, including the ones that come in while you're working on a lock, and takes down where the caller is and what they need.

On the Professional and Premium plans it can book jobs and transfer urgent calls to you. The Android app is live on Google Play, and the iPhone app is coming soon.

Plans cost $99, $179 or $299 a month, as shown on our pricing page, with a 14-day free trial and no card. Basic is $1,188 a year, the price of about eight lockouts at $150.