Short answer
Price one push from time: hours (plowing plus drive) × (loaded labour rate + plow overhead per hour), plus salt, ÷ (1 − margin). A 30-minute driveway at a $32.50 loaded rate and $37.50 overhead per plow hour breaks even at $35.00 and prices at $53.85. A seasonal contract is that price × your expected pushes.
- Per-push price = hours × (loaded rate + overhead per plow hour) + salt, ÷ (1 − margin).
- Divide plow overhead by plow hours, not a work year: $6,000 over 160 hours is $37.50 an hour.
- The same driveway breaks even at $53.75 in a 10-day winter and $28.75 in a 30-day winter.
- A seasonal price of 15 pushes, $53.85 each, is $807.75; 25 actual pushes turns it into a $67.25 loss.
- Price salt as materials on every application, not inside the push price.
On this page
- Per push, per event or seasonal: how should you charge for snow removal?
- How to calculate a snow removal rate
- How much to charge per push: a worked driveway example
- Salt and ice melt: price them as materials
- Pricing by depth: how much more for heavy snow?
- How to price seasonal snow removal contracts
- Commercial lots and per-acre pricing
- What should be included in a snow removal contract?
- Snow removal pricing calculator vs template vs apps
- Step-by-step
- FAQ
Per push, per event or seasonal: how should you charge for snow removal?
All three start from the same number: what one push costs you. Per push bills each visit. Per event bills a storm, however many visits it takes. A seasonal contract bills a fixed amount for the winter, so you carry the weather risk.
I'm not a snow contractor; I build pricing math. The rates below are assumptions for you to replace, and the point is the method: you can check every figure. A seasonal contract has to be priced before the first snow, so autumn is when this arithmetic matters.
| Method | Customer pays | Who carries weather risk | Needs from you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per push | Each visit | Customer | Time per property and a trigger depth |
| Per event | Each storm | Shared: you carry long storms | Pushes per storm by depth |
| Seasonal | A fixed winter price | You | Expected pushes from local snowfall history |
How to calculate a snow removal rate
Snow removal rate = (loaded labour rate + plow overhead per hour) ÷ (1 − margin). The overhead part is where most snow prices go wrong: the plow, spreader and extra insurance cost money all year but earn only on the days it snows.
| Overhead line | Per year |
|---|---|
| Plow blade replacement reserve | $2,500 |
| Salt spreader reserve | $800 |
| Insurance for snow work | $1,500 |
| Cutting edges, hydraulics, repairs | $700 |
| Extra truck wear from plowing | $500 |
| Total | $6,000 |
Assume 20 plowing days a winter at 8 hours: 160 plow hours. Overhead is $6,000 ÷ 160 = $37.50 an hour. A $25 wage with an assumed 30% burden is $32.50. So one plow hour costs $70 and bills at $107.69 at a 35% margin. Check your burden in the labor burden calculator, and see the overhead and profit guide for why overhead is a division, not a percentage.
How much to charge per push: a worked driveway example
Time the driveway, add the drive from the previous stop, cost the hours, divide by one minus margin. Here a two-car driveway takes an assumed 20 minutes to plow and 10 minutes to reach: 0.5 hours.
Worked example: Residential driveway, one push: 20 min plowing + 10 min drive = 0.5 hours, owner-operator (all inputs are assumptions: use yours)
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Workers (input) | 1 |
| Hourly wage paid (input) | $25.00 |
| Labour burden % (input) | 30% |
| Materials (input) | $0.00 |
| Overhead for the year (input) | $6,000.00 |
| People in the field (input) | 1 |
| Billable days a year (input) | 20 |
| Target margin % (input) | 35% |
| Jobs a week (input) | 25 |
| Hours on the job (input) | 0.5 |
| Loaded labour rate (per hour) | $32.50 |
| Crew-hours | 0.5 |
| Labour cost | $16.25 |
| Overhead per sellable hour | $37.50 |
| Overhead share | $18.75 |
| Break-even cost | $35.00 |
| Price to quote | $53.85 |
| Profit on the job | $18.85 |
| Price if you MARK UP instead | $47.25 |
| Margin you actually keep with markup | 25.93% |
| Lost per job by marking up | $6.60 |
| Lost per year by marking up | $8,575.00 |
Computed with the same formulas as the free calculators on this site. Change any input in the calculator above to see your own numbers.
Labour 0.5 × $32.50 = $16.25, overhead 0.5 × $37.50 = $18.75, break-even $35.00. Price: $35.00 ÷ 0.65 = $53.85 per push. Put your own driveway in the calculator: hours per push, then your wage, snow overhead and plowing days.
One note: the calculator's yearly markup figure multiplies by 52 weeks. For snow, multiply the gap per push by your real season instead: $6.60 × 25 driveways × 20 events = $3,300.
Salt and ice melt: price them as materials
Bill salt or ice melt per application at your cost, inside the price formula as materials, so it carries your margin. Leaving it out of the push price and adding it later at cost means you apply it for free.
Worked example: Same driveway, push plus ice melt: $12 of material per application (assumption)
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Workers (input) | 1 |
| Hourly wage paid (input) | $25.00 |
| Labour burden % (input) | 30% |
| Materials (input) | $12.00 |
| Overhead for the year (input) | $6,000.00 |
| People in the field (input) | 1 |
| Billable days a year (input) | 20 |
| Target margin % (input) | 35% |
| Jobs a week (input) | 25 |
| Hours on the job (input) | 0.5 |
| Loaded labour rate (per hour) | $32.50 |
| Crew-hours | 0.5 |
| Labour cost | $16.25 |
| Overhead per sellable hour | $37.50 |
| Overhead share | $18.75 |
| Break-even cost | $47.00 |
| Price to quote | $72.31 |
| Profit on the job | $25.31 |
| Price if you MARK UP instead | $63.45 |
| Margin you actually keep with markup | 25.93% |
| Lost per job by marking up | $8.86 |
| Lost per year by marking up | $11,515.00 |
Computed with the same formulas as the free calculators on this site. Change any input in the calculator above to see your own numbers.
With $12 of ice melt per application (an assumption: your bag price × bags per visit), the same driveway prices at $72.31 instead of $53.85. Salt use varies with temperature and surface, so write it into the contract as a separate per-application line rather than folding it into the push.
Pricing by depth: how much more for heavy snow?
Charge by time, and deep snow takes longer. Set a trigger depth (the snowfall at which you plow) and price depth tiers from timed pushes rather than a per-inch rate.
| Snowfall | Time incl. drive | Break-even | Price at 35% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trigger depth to 4 in | 30 min (0.5 h) | $35.00 | $53.85 |
| 4–8 in | 40 min (0.67 h) | $46.90 | $72.15 |
| 8–12 in | 50 min (0.83 h) | $58.10 | $89.38 |
A per-inch rate works only if time rises in step with depth, which you can check against your own logs after the first storms. Very deep storms may need two pushes, and each push is priced on its own.
How to price seasonal snow removal contracts
Seasonal price = per-push price × the pushes you expect in an average winter. Get that number from your own logs, or from snowfall history at your nearest weather station in the NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, which include snowfall. Count storms at or above your trigger depth, not total inches.
| Expected pushes | Working | Seasonal price | Over 5 monthly payments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 pushes | 10 × $53.85 | $538.50 | $107.70 |
| 15 pushes | 15 × $53.85 | $807.75 | $161.55 |
| 20 pushes | 20 × $53.85 | $1,077.00 | $215.40 |
The risk runs both ways. Price for 15 pushes and see what the actual winter does:
| Actual winter | Revenue per push | Cost of pushes | Profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 pushes | $100.97 | $280.00 | $527.75 |
| 15 pushes | $53.85 | $525.00 | $282.75 |
| 25 pushes | $32.31 | $875.00 | −$67.25 |
Overhead makes it sharper. The $6,000 is spent whether it snows or not: spread over 10 plowing days the driveway breaks even at $53.75 a push; over 30 days, $28.75. Per-push billing hurts you in a light winter; a seasonal contract hurts you in a heavy one. One protection is a seasonal price with a cap on pushes and a per-push rate above the cap; that way a record winter does not wipe out the contract.
Landscaping & Lawn Care Estimate Calculator
The spreadsheet version of this guide for Excel & Google Sheets: type your numbers into the highlighted cells and the formulas do the rest. One-time $14.99, no subscription, instant download.
See the Landscaping & Lawn Care Estimate Calculator →Buy now — $14.99All 7 templates — $49Instant access by email after checkout via Payhip. Want to try the maths first? Use the free calculator — no signup.
Commercial lots and per-acre pricing
Price a lot the same way: timed hours per push, plus salt, plus overhead, on margin. Per-acre figures only hold when lots are similar, and islands, curbs and parked cars change the minutes a lot.
Worked example: Small commercial lot: 2 hours plowing and walks, $90 of salt (assumptions)
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Workers (input) | 1 |
| Hourly wage paid (input) | $25.00 |
| Labour burden % (input) | 30% |
| Materials (input) | $90.00 |
| Overhead for the year (input) | $6,000.00 |
| People in the field (input) | 1 |
| Billable days a year (input) | 20 |
| Target margin % (input) | 35% |
| Jobs a week (input) | 25 |
| Hours on the job (input) | 2 |
| Loaded labour rate (per hour) | $32.50 |
| Crew-hours | 2 |
| Labour cost | $65.00 |
| Overhead per sellable hour | $37.50 |
| Overhead share | $75.00 |
| Break-even cost | $230.00 |
| Price to quote | $353.85 |
| Profit on the job | $123.85 |
| Price if you MARK UP instead | $310.50 |
| Margin you actually keep with markup | 25.93% |
| Lost per job by marking up | $43.35 |
| Lost per year by marking up | $56,350.00 |
Computed with the same formulas as the free calculators on this site. Change any input in the calculator above to see your own numbers.
A small lot taking an assumed 2 hours with $90 of salt prices at $353.85 per push. For per-acre pricing, time a few lots you know, divide hours by acres, and price new lots from that ratio while you check it. Larger lots bring bigger equipment and crews, so the overhead per hour changes too; build that as its own budget.
What should be included in a snow removal contract?
A snow contract should state the service area, trigger depth, how you bill (push, event or season), salt pricing and what happens in an unusually heavy winter. Put it in writing before the first storm.
| Clause | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Service area | Driveway, walks, steps, mailbox approach; marked on a sketch |
| Trigger depth | Snowfall that starts a visit |
| Price basis | Per push, per event or seasonal, with depth tiers |
| Push cap | Pushes included in a seasonal price and the rate above the cap |
| Salt and ice melt | Per-application price, and whether it is automatic or on request |
| Timing | When plowing starts, and how you handle ongoing storms |
| Damage and markers | Stakes for edges; who pays for turf and landscaping damage |
| Payment | Deposit, monthly schedule, late terms |
Snow removal pricing calculator vs template vs apps
For one driveway, the free calculator is enough. For a route of contracts, you need every property's minutes, salt and billing basis in one place.
- Free: the free landscaping estimate calculator prices a push from hours, wage, burden, overhead and margin, in your browser with no signup.
- $14.99: the landscaping & lawn care estimate calculator is built for lawn and landscape work, and its page does not list snow services. It prices labour, equipment, materials and disposal separately, adds overhead and shows break-even, so a landscaper can enter a push as a service; seasonal contracts and push caps are not built in.
- Built for you: the done-for-you custom calculator is a $497 build around your own rates and line items, for Excel and Google Sheets.
- Apps: field-service apps suit crews that need dispatch and route tracking during storms, usually on a subscription.
What to put in your snow price sheet: minutes per push and drive per property, depth tiers, salt per application, trigger depth, billing basis and push cap. If you mow the same properties in summer, how to price lawn care jobs uses the same method, and the lawn care and landscaping estimate template covers that side of the year.
Overhead per plow hour
=B2/(B3*8)B2 = yearly snow overhead, B3 = expected plowing days.
Per-push price
=(B4*(B5*(1+B6)+B7)+B8)/(1-B9)B4 = hours per push incl. drive, B5 = wage, B6 = burden (0.30), B7 = overhead per plow hour, B8 = salt per push, B9 = margin (0.35).
Seasonal price
=B10*B11B10 = per-push price, B11 = expected pushes in an average winter.
Profit on a seasonal contract
=B12-B13*B14B12 = seasonal price, B13 = break-even per push, B14 = actual pushes. A negative result is a loss.
Step-by-step: How Much to Charge for Snow Removal: Per Push, Per Event and Seasonal Contracts
- Build your snow overhead. Add a year of plow, spreader, snow insurance and repair costs, then divide by expected plowing days × 8 hours.
- Time each property. Record push minutes plus drive from the previous stop, and convert to hours.
- Cost one push. Hours × (loaded labour rate + overhead per plow hour) gives break-even per push.
- Add salt as materials. Add ice melt per application at your cost so it carries margin.
- Price on margin. Divide break-even by (1 − margin) for the per-push price, with higher tiers for deeper snow.
- Set the seasonal price. Multiply the per-push price by expected pushes from local history, and add a push cap with an overage rate.
Skip the setup: Landscaping & Lawn Care Estimate Calculator
The spreadsheet version of this guide for Excel & Google Sheets: type your numbers into the highlighted cells and the formulas do the rest. One-time $14.99, no subscription, instant download.
See the Landscaping & Lawn Care Estimate Calculator →Buy now — $14.99All 7 templates — $49Instant access by email after checkout via Payhip. Want to try the maths first? Use the free calculator — no signup.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good price to charge for snow removal?
A price that covers loaded labour, snow overhead and margin for the minutes the job takes. On this page's assumptions, a 30-minute driveway push breaks even at $35.00 and prices at $53.85. Your plow overhead and plowing days move it the most.
How much to charge per push for snow removal?
Multiply hours per push, including the drive, by your loaded rate plus overhead per plow hour, add salt, and divide by one minus margin. The example driveway is $53.85 plain and $72.31 with ice melt.
How do you price seasonal snow removal?
Multiply your per-push price by the pushes you expect in an average winter, based on your logs or local snowfall history. At $53.85 a push, 15 expected pushes is $807.75. Add a push cap and an overage rate so a heavy winter does not become a loss.
Is a per-visit or seasonal snow contract better?
Per visit moves the weather risk to the customer; seasonal moves it to you but gives steady income. On this page's example, a 15-push seasonal contract earns $527.75 in an 8-push winter and loses $67.25 in a 25-push winter.
How much to plow a 1,000 ft driveway?
Time it. If a long driveway takes an assumed 45 minutes including the drive, the example rates give a break-even of $52.50 and a price of $80.77 per push. Turnarounds, slopes and where snow can be piled change the minutes.
How much should a kid charge for shoveling snow?
A teenager with a shovel has no truck or insurance overhead, so price time: minutes ÷ 60 × the hourly amount they want to earn. At an assumed $15 an hour target, a 45-minute driveway is $11.25. Deep or icy snow takes longer.
How much to charge per acre to plow?
Time a few lots, divide hours by acres, then price each acre with your loaded rate, overhead and margin. The example small lot takes 2 hours and prices at $353.85 with $90 of salt. Obstacles and curbs change the time per acre.
What should be included in a snow removal contract?
The service area, trigger depth, price basis (push, event or seasonal), depth tiers, push cap and overage rate, salt pricing, timing, damage terms and payment schedule. Agree it before the first storm.
Sources
- NOAA NCEI: U.S. Climate Normals — Station normals include snowfall; used to estimate expected pushes
I'm not a contractor, landlord or accountant. I build the pricing maths, and every number on this page shows its working so you can check it instead of trusting it. Watch the breakdowns on YouTube →