Electricians bill two ways, and knowing which one your quote uses matters as much as the number. Some charge by the hour with a minimum; others quote a flat price per job from a rate book. Neither system is automatically the cheaper one — but flat quotes are far easier to compare before anyone picks up a tool, which is why most of this guide is in per-job terms. If you want the parallel picture for plumbing, our plumber cost guide uses the same layout.
Hourly, plus a service fee. Typical rates run $50–$100 an hour for a journeyman, more for a master electrician or a big shop with a call center to feed. Most hourly shops also charge a service or trip fee — commonly $75–$150 — and many set a one- or two-hour minimum. The fee sometimes gets credited toward the repair; ask before you book.
Flat-rate (book) pricing. The company prices the job itself, not the clock: "replace that outlet, $X." You know the total before work starts, and a slow job doesn't inflate your bill. The trade-off is that flat rates are built to cover the slow jobs too, so a genuinely quick fix can cost the same as a fiddly one.
These ranges are typical US figures for licensed electricians, parts and labor included. Big metros run higher; rural areas often come in lower.
| Job | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Replace an outlet or light switch | $150–$300 |
| Install a GFCI outlet | $150–$300 |
| Replace a ceiling light fixture | $150–$350 |
| Install a ceiling fan (rated box already in place) | $200–$400 |
| Add a new outlet on a new run of wire | $250–$500 |
| Install a whole-house surge protector | $300–$600 |
| Run a circuit for an EV charger | $500–$1,500 |
| Upgrade a panel to 200 amps | $1,500–$4,000 |
| Troubleshooting / diagnostic visit | $100–$200 |
Access. Fishing wire through finished walls and ceilings takes time; the same job over an open basement or attic is faster and cheaper. An electrician quoting sight-unseen will price the harder version.
Permits. Panel work and new circuits generally require a permit and an inspection, and the fee plus the return trip for the inspector is in your quote. It's also the part you never want skipped — unpermitted panel work has a way of surfacing at home-sale time and after insurance claims.
Timing. Nights, weekends, and holidays run 1.5 to 2 times standard rates, and "no power to half the house" at 9 p.m. is exactly the call that gets priced that way. Anything that can safely wait until Tuesday should.
Who shows up. A one-truck master electrician and a franchise with wrapped vans and a dispatch office carry different overhead, and their quotes show it. Both can do excellent work; you're paying for the structure around the skill, not just the skill.
Batch the small stuff. One visit to swap three outlets and a switch pays the service fee and minimum once. Four separate visits pay it four times. Keep a running list on the fridge and hand it over when someone's already in the house.
Get the flat number in writing. Before work starts, ask what's included and — just as important — what isn't. Drywall patching and painting after a wire run, for instance, is usually on you.
Ask whether the diagnostic fee applies to the repair. Many shops credit it if you hire them for the fix. If yours doesn't, that's a real difference between two quotes that otherwise look equal.
Verify the license before you compare prices. A quote from an unlicensed operator isn't a bargain; it's a different product. Our walkthrough on how to check if a contractor is licensed takes five minutes, and the questions to ask before hiring an electrician cover the rest of the vetting.
Choosing on hourly rate alone. A sharp electrician at $100 an hour who finishes in 40 minutes costs less than a slow one at $60 who takes two hours — and the flat-rate shop beats both on certainty. Compare totals for the job, not rates.
Letting a handyman do panel work to save money. In most places, electrical work beyond the most minor swaps legally belongs to licensed electricians — and homeowner's insurance can get difficult after a fire traced to unpermitted work. The savings are real right up until they're catastrophic.
Skipping the permit on big work to shave the quote. It resurfaces at resale, at refinancing, and after claims. If one quote is mysteriously cheaper than the rest, the permit is often the missing line.
Budget $150–$350 for a typical small-job visit; four figures only enter the picture when panels, new circuits, or EV chargers do. Judge every quote on the written total for the whole job — parts, permit, and what's excluded spelled out — and the hourly rate becomes what it should be: background information, not the decision.
Typically $1,500–$4,000. The spread comes from whether the meter base and service line also need upgrading, what your utility requires, permit costs, and how much of the existing wiring can stay. It's the job where getting three quotes matters most — bids $1,000 apart on identical scope are common.
For larger projects, often yes — a panel upgrade or a rewire is worth a free look. For small repairs, expect a diagnostic or service fee instead: you're paying them to find the problem, which is skilled work in itself. Ask on the phone so the fee isn't a surprise at the door.
Because the ten minutes at your outlet sits inside an hour of driving, scheduling, licensing, insurance, and a truck stocked with parts. The minimum is that overhead, divided across every stop on the route. It's also why batching small jobs into one visit saves real money.
Rules vary by state and city, but most places reserve electrical work — new circuits, panel work, anything behind the wall — for licensed electricians. Like-for-like swaps of a switch or fixture are the gray area some jurisdictions allow. Beyond the legal question, unlicensed electrical work can void insurance coverage after a fire and create disclosure problems when you sell.
Expect 1.5 to 2 times the standard rate, plus a higher call-out fee — a $200 daytime job can be a $400 midnight job. Genuine emergencies (burning smells, sparking, a panel that's hot to the touch) justify it. A dead outlet in the guest room doesn't.