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How much should you charge for septic pumping?

Price a pump-out from what it costs you: time on site and on the road, disposal fees, truck costs and your share of overhead. Add the margin you want, and the calculator gives you a price per pump-out.

Average drive from the previous stop.

Wage plus payroll costs.

Fuel and wear for the drive to this customer.

Insurance, phone, software, equipment payments and other fixed costs.

Your overhead is spread across these. Use your average across the year.

The share of the price you keep after costs. 30% of a $100 visit is $30.

$308 per visit

Cost per visit: $200 · Profit per visit: $108

Wages $45 · Disposal fees per pump-out $75 · Vehicle $20 · Overhead $60

That's $205 for each hour the job takes, including the drive.

Driving to this customer is 33% of the job's time and costs you $35 a visit. See what driving costs across all your routes

Keep the drive out of your margin

Routova groups each day's stops by area and orders them by real road drive times, so less of every visit goes to the road. Route optimization is on every plan, from $49 a month.

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What goes into a septic pumping price

Disposal fees and the drive often decide whether a pump-out pays. Use the typical volume you pump and your treatment plant's disposal rate, and count the drive to the plant if you unload mid-route.

How this calculator works

It adds up the cost of one visit: wages for everyone on the job for the time on site and the drive, materials, vehicle cost, and your monthly overhead divided by your visits each month. Then it sets the price so that your chosen margin is left after those costs: price = cost ÷ (1 − margin). The monthly and yearly figures multiply the price by the visits in that period.

Why the drive belongs in the price

Customers don't see the drive, but you pay for it on every visit. If your stops are spread out or in a poor order, the same price earns you less. Shorter drives lower the cost of every visit without changing what the customer pays.

Questions

How do I price by tank size?
Run the calculator for each common tank size with its time and disposal fee, and use the results as your price list.
How do I price grease trap accounts?
Choose Monthly or Every 3 months for recurring grease trap service to see what each account comes to.
What do other septic companies charge?
It varies a lot by area. This calculator starts from your own costs so every price covers them. Compare the result with local quotes before you set your rates.

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