How to price junk removal jobs (2026)
What haulers charge by load size and by item, how to build your own price from labor, dump fees, truck and overhead, and how to get a quote out the door fast. Every price below is a range from a named cost guide, checked in October 2026.
What junk removal costs in 2026.
Volume is the standard way haulers price: you charge for how much of the truck a job fills. The guides agree on the shape of the price list but not on the exact numbers, especially at the top end.
Minimum charge. Housecall Pro's 2026 guide puts the minimum at $70 to $150 for a single bulky item or a very small load. Jobber lists $70 to $125 for a minimum load of 45 to 60 cubic feet, and HomeGuide lists $70 to $100 for up to 60 cubic feet.
Quarter and half loads. Jobber gives $100 to $175 for a quarter truck and $175 to $375 for a half. LawnStarter's averages are $160 for a quarter and $375 for a half. Housecall Pro's half-truck range is higher at $300 to $500, while HomeGuide's is lower at $200 to $300.
Three-quarter and full loads. This is where the sources split most. HomeGuide puts a full truck at $400 to $450 (roughly $1.50 per cubic foot). Jobber says $400 to $800. LawnStarter's full-truck average is $675, and Housecall Pro's is $600 to $800.
Single items. LawnStarter lists mattresses at $70 to $130 and a couch at $175 to $275. Housecall Pro lists mattresses at $75 to $150 and appliances at $60 to $180 each. Hot tubs vary widely: LawnStarter's range is $235 to $415, Jobber's is $250 to $450, and Housecall Pro's is $300 to $800 or more.
Add-ons. Housecall Pro lists $50 to $150 or more for extra labor or stairs, $100 to $300 or more for heavy debris, and $50 to $150 on top of the standard rate for same-day pickup.
Minimum charge
Range across Housecall Pro, Jobber and HomeGuide.
Half truck
Low end from Jobber, high end from Housecall Pro.
Full truck
Jobber's range; HomeGuide is lower, Housecall Pro higher.
Landfill fees
LawnStarter's range; EREF's 2023 national average was $56.80 a ton.
Start from what a job costs you.
Market ranges tell you where you can land. Your costs tell you where you can't go below. Work out each of these per job, then add your margin.
Labor
Hours on the job, including drive and dump time, times the number of crew. Jobber suggests adding about 20% on top of the wage for payroll taxes, workers' comp and other employee costs.
Disposal
Dump fees by weight or by load, plus per-item fees for mattresses, tires, appliances with refrigerant and paint. EREF's 2023 study put the national average landfill tipping fee at $56.80 a ton, from $43.18 in the Southeast to $84.44 in the Northeast. Check your own transfer station.
Truck
Fuel, tires, maintenance, insurance and the truck payment, spread across the jobs you run. A per-mile or per-job figure is fine as long as you use it every time.
Overhead
Phone, software, marketing, office, licences and your own salary if you don't run a crew. Divide a month of overhead by the jobs you do in a month.
Card fees
Stripe's standard US rate is 2.9% plus 30 cents for an online card payment and 2.7% plus 5 cents in person. Price it in, or it comes out of your margin.
Margin
Both Jobber and Housecall Pro use the same formula: price equals cost divided by (1 minus your target margin). Their worked examples use 30% to 35%. Neither gives a single right number.
Worked example. These are example numbers, not benchmarks. Swap in your own wage, dump fee and overhead.
- Job: half-truck garage cleanout with one mattress, two-person crew, 2 hours door to door including the dump run.
- Labor: example wage $20 an hour, plus 20% burden = $24 an hour. 2 people x 2 hours x $24 = $96.
- Disposal: example 0.5 ton at $60 a ton = $30, plus an example $25 mattress fee = $55.
- Truck: example $35 for fuel and wear on this run.
- Overhead: example $3,000 a month across 60 jobs = $50 a job.
- Cost before card fee: $96 + $55 + $35 + $50 = $236.
- Target margin 35%: $236 / 0.65 = $363.
- Card fee at 2.9% plus 30 cents on $363 is about $11, so the quote rounds to $375.
That $375 sits inside the half-truck ranges from Jobber and Housecall Pro and above HomeGuide's. If your cost-based price comes out under the market, you have room to raise it. If it comes out well over, look at crew hours and dump runs before you cut the price.
Our free junk removal pricing calculator runs this same math with your own numbers: load size, crew, dump fee, overhead and margin. Use it to set your price list once, then quote from the list.
Where junk pricing leaks money.
Pricing off the cheapest competitor
The lowest price in town may not cover a crew of two plus dump fees. Start from your costs, then check the market.
Forgetting the dump run
Drive time to the transfer station and the wait there are labor hours. Count them in every quote.
One price for all junk
Shingles, concrete and wet carpet weigh far more than furniture. Housecall Pro lists a heavy-debris surcharge of $100 to $300 or more for this reason.
No minimum
A single chair across town can cost you more than you charge. Set a minimum that covers the truck leaving the yard.
Never raising prices
Housecall Pro suggests reviewing prices when fuel, labor or dump fees rise 10% to 15%. Put a date in the calendar to check each year.
Eating card fees
On a $375 job, card fees are about $11. Over hundreds of jobs that adds up. Build it into the price.
Quote fast, with a clear price.
Junk customers can contact more than one hauler before they book. A fast, clear price gives you the best shot at the job.
Photo quotes
Ask for two or three photos with something for scale. Reply with a range by load size, like "a quarter to a half truck, $175 to $375", and confirm on site.
A price list on your site
Publish your load-size prices and minimum. People who call already know the ballpark, so fewer calls turn into haggling.
Reply in minutes
Missed calls and web forms should get a text back right away, even when you're mid-job.
Follow up on every quote
A quote with no reply usually isn't a no. A text the next day and again a few days later can bring some of them back.
On-site price is final
Quote a range from photos, give the firm price before you load, and don't change it after the truck is full.
Junk removal pricing questions.
Should I charge by volume, by item or by the hour?
Housecall Pro calls volume the primary model, and it is easy for customers to understand. Housecall Pro and Jobber both describe per-item pricing for single pickups and hourly pricing for labor-only work. A common setup is volume pricing for loads and a flat fee for common single items.
What is a fair minimum charge?
Housecall Pro puts typical minimums at $70 to $150, Jobber at $70 to $125 and HomeGuide at $70 to $100. Your minimum should at least cover labor, fuel and the dump fee for a small load.
How much should I charge for a full truck?
It depends on your truck size and your market. HomeGuide lists $400 to $450, Jobber $400 to $800, LawnStarter an average of $675 and Housecall Pro $600 to $800. Price from your own costs first, then check where that lands.
How much are dump fees?
LawnStarter puts landfill fees at $20 to $90 a ton. EREF's 2023 national average was $56.80 a ton, with the Northeast highest. Mattresses, tires, appliances and paint often carry separate per-item fees, so check your local transfer station's price sheet.
How do I quote without seeing the job?
Ask for photos, quote a range by load size, and confirm the exact price on site before you load. Our free junk removal pricing calculator can help you set those ranges.
Where these numbers come from.
Prices checked October 2026. Ranges are national figures from the guides below; your market can sit well above or below them.
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