How this calculator prices a mow
It starts from time, because time is what you sell. The mower's deck width and speed give a starting capacity, with an efficiency allowance for turns and overlapping passes. Trees, beds and slopes add mowing time. Setup, travel, trimming, edging and blowing are added separately so a quick mow still covers the whole stop.
acres per hour = deck width in ft × speed in mph × efficiency ÷ 8.25
mowing minutes = area ÷ (acres per hour × 43,560 ÷ 60) × terrain factor × schedule factor
price per visit = max(minimum, total minutes ÷ 60 × hourly target)
What the numbers mean
The 8.25 converts feet and miles into acres: 43,560 sq ft per acre ÷ 5,280 ft per mile = 8.25. Efficiency is a fraction in the formula, so 75% becomes 0.75. The terrain factor is 1 for open and flat lawns, 1.25 for some trees and beds, and 1.5 for lots of obstacles or slopes.
The schedule factor is 1 for weekly mowing and 1 plus your extra-time percentage for every-two-weeks mowing. That increase applies only to mowing. Total minutes are setup and travel + trimming, edging and blowing + mowing minutes. The minimum charge sets a floor, then the calculator rounds the price up to the nearest $5 unless you turn that off.
An example with the defaults
With the defaults, a 10,000 sq ft lawn mowed weekly with a 48 in zero-turn takes about 35 minutes including the rest of the stop. At $75 an hour, that comes to a $45 visit after rounding. Thirty visits make a $1,350 season, spread over seven monthly payments of about $192.86.
Per visit or monthly plan?
Per visit
- You are paid for each mow you complete.
- Easy to explain: one visit, one price.
- Income changes with the number of visits.
- You track and bill each visit.
Monthly plan
- Spread the season's price into predictable payments.
- Customers know the planned season cost up front.
- The same payment can cover different visit counts each month.
- The agreement needs a rule for extra or missed visits.
How the monthly plan is worked out
The monthly plan divides the per-visit price × planned visits by your billing months. Weekly mowing uses one visit per season week. Every-two-weeks mowing uses half as many, rounded up for an odd number of weeks. Agree on the visit count and payment dates before the season starts.
Before you send the quote
- Measure the lawn. Quote the area you mow, leaving out buildings, driveways and planted beds.
- Count the whole stop. Include trimming, edging and blowing, along with setup and travel.
- Explain every-two-weeks pricing. Taller grass may take longer, so the price per visit can be higher than weekly mowing.
- Rain delays. Say how you reschedule a visit when the lawn is too wet to mow.
- Overgrown grass. Agree when extra growth calls for an additional charge and get approval before doing the extra work.
- Payment terms. List accepted payment methods, invoice due dates and the start and end of monthly payments.
A written agreement puts all of this on paper. Our lawn care contract template gives you a place to spell it out.