Travel fees: price on-site work before you quote the job
Drive time, parking, tolls, setup, and waiting can turn a short visit into a real cost. Decide how you charge for travel before you send the quote.
Back to all briefsOn-site work should include the trip, not only the task. Before quoting the job, decide whether travel is a billable hour, zone fee, minimum service charge, or reimbursable expense, then check the result against your rate floor and margin.
Count the full appointment
Include outbound and return drive time, parking, tolls, fuel, loading, setup, teardown, and waiting time. A 20-minute repair can become a much longer appointment once travel and handoff time are included.
Choose one pricing rule
Some businesses bill travel as hourly time, some use service zones, and others add a flat site-visit fee or minimum charge. Pick the rule that best fits your service area and make it consistent so similar jobs are priced the same way.
State the rule before the visit
Put included mileage, after-hours pricing, remote-area fees, and any reimbursable tolls or parking costs in the quote or invoice. Confirm contract, consumer, tax, and local rules before treating travel as a fee you can charge everywhere.