Price a Snow Account
The property
Your business numbers
Run storm days without the chaos
Field service apps route your snow accounts, track which properties are done and invoice per push or per season automatically.
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How this price is built
- Clearing time = driveway area ÷ your equipment speed + walk area ÷ your walk-clearing speed, multiplied by the depth factor.
- Time per visit = clearing time + drive time to the stop.
- Price per push = hours × your target hourly rate, never less than your minimum.
- Salt price = total area ÷ 1,000 × pounds per 1,000 sq ft × the price you charge per pound.
- Seasonal contract = price per push × expected pushes + salt price × expected applications.
How Much to Charge for Snow Removal
Residential snow removal is usually priced three ways: per push (each time you plow after the snow passes a trigger depth), per season (a flat contract no matter how many storms), or per hour for larger lots. Whichever you offer, start from how long the property takes you and what an hour of your truck and crew has to earn.
Per Push vs. Seasonal Contracts
- Per push: you're paid for every storm, which protects you in a heavy winter. Customers carry the risk of a snowy year.
- Seasonal: a fixed price spread over the winter. Customers like the predictability; you carry the risk that it snows more than average. Base it on your area's typical number of plowable storms, not last year alone.
- Per hour: common for commercial lots and odd jobs where the work varies a lot.
Trigger Depth and Heavy Storms
Most per-push agreements start at a trigger depth, often around two inches. Deep storms take longer and may need multiple visits. Say in the agreement how heavy storms are billed, for example a higher rate above a certain depth.
Salt and Ice Melt
Charge for salt per application. Your price should cover the material, spreading time and the cost of storing and loading it. The calculator uses a price per pound so you can set your own margin.
Route Density Is the Real Profit Lever
During a storm, every minute driving between stops is a minute not plowing. Tight routes let you finish more accounts before customers need to leave for work. Price far-off accounts higher or turn them down.
Frequently Asked Questions
Estimate how long the driveway and walks take with your equipment, add drive time to the stop, and multiply by your hourly rate. Set a per-push minimum so small driveways still cover the stop.
Multiply your per-push price by the typical number of plowable storms in your area and add expected salt applications. Remember you carry the risk of a heavier-than-average winter.
Work out the pounds of salt needed from the area and your spread rate, then multiply by the price per pound you charge. Your price per pound should cover material, storage, loading and spreading time.
Yes. Deeper snow takes longer to move and may need extra visits. Many contractors bill a higher rate above a set depth; this calculator applies a depth factor you can see in the price.
