The typical electrician hourly rate in Australia in 2026 sits between $80 and $150 an hour for standard residential work in business hours, with most published averages landing close to $100. On top of that, many electricians charge a call-out or service fee, and after-hours work costs a good deal more.
This guide pulls the published 2026 numbers together for electricians setting their prices and for anyone checking whether their own rate is in line. It finishes with how to work out a rate from your own costs rather than copying someone else's.
Hourly rates at a glance
Two of the most-used Australian price guides put the standard rate in a similar place:
| Source | Standard hourly rate | Call-out or service fee | Last updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| hipages | $80 to $100 | $80 to $130, often covering the first 30 minutes | 8 January 2026 |
| whatsthedamage.com.au | $80 to $150, typically $100 | $50 to $150, typically $110 | 1 October 2026 |
The spread is wide for good reasons. A sole trader in a regional town and a company with a fleet of vans in a capital city have very different costs, and so do a straightforward fit-off and fault finding in a 1950s house.
Average rates by state
hipages publishes an average hourly rate for electricians in each state and territory:
| State or territory | Average hourly rate |
|---|---|
| New South Wales | $105 |
| Victoria | $105 |
| Queensland | $100 |
| South Australia | $95 |
| Western Australia | $95 |
| Australian Capital Territory | $95 |
Source: hipages, updated 8 January 2026. Inner-city rates usually sit above these averages and regional rates below.
Call-out and service fees
Most electricians charge something for turning up. It covers travel, parking and the time spent finding the fault, which are real costs even on a ten-minute job. There are two common ways to do it:
- A service fee that includes the first block of time, often the first 30 minutes, then the hourly rate after that, billed in 15-minute increments.
- A minimum charge of the first hour, with no separate call-out fee.
Both are fine. What matters is telling the customer before you arrive, so the fee isn't a surprise on the invoice.
After-hours and emergency rates
Work outside business hours costs more, because it takes you away from your evening and often needs a dedicated trip. whatsthedamage.com.au lists, as of October 2026:
| After-hours charge | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Emergency or after-hours call-out fee | $150 to $500 a visit, typically $240 |
| After-hours hourly rate, evenings, weekends and public holidays | $130 to $280 an hour, typically $190 |
Put another way, after-hours surcharges commonly add 50 to 100 percent to the standard rate. If you take emergency calls, decide your after-hours rate before the phone rings at 11pm, and make sure whoever answers your phone can tell the caller what it is.
What common electrical jobs cost
Many household jobs are quoted at a fixed price rather than by the hour. These are the published figures from hipages, including labour and materials:
| Job | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Install a power point | $140 to $180 |
| Install a hardwired smoke alarm | Around $150 |
| Install a downlight | $55 to $70 each |
| High-quality LED lighting | $60 to $80 a point |
| Install an outdoor light | $75 to $90 |
| Safety switch installation | $90 to $250 |
| Switchboard upgrade | $500 to $1,200 |
| Kitchen renovation with 5 power points | $450 to $850 |
| Rewire a house | $800 to $8,000 |
Source: hipages, updated 8 January 2026. Access, the age of the house and the fittings chosen all move these numbers.
Wages aren't charge-out rates
It's worth separating two numbers that often get mixed up. What an employed electrician is paid an hour is a wage. The $80 to $150 a customer pays is the business's charge-out rate, and it has to cover that wage plus super, insurance, the van, tools, fuel, training, unbillable hours and profit. So the charge-out rate always sits well above the wage, and it should.
That gap is why an electrician who leaves a job to work for themselves and charges $70 an hour often ends up earning less than they did as an employee.
How to set your own rate
Market rates tell you what customers are used to. Your costs tell you what you need. Work it out in this order:
- Add up what you need to pay yourself, including 12 percent super.
- Add every business overhead for the year: van, fuel, insurance, licence, test equipment, phone, software, accountant.
- Add a profit margin, at least 10 percent.
- Divide by the hours you can actually bill, which for a busy sole trader is often around 1,100 to 1,200 a year once quoting, driving and admin are taken out.
The full worked example is in how to calculate your charge-out rate. If your number comes out above the local market, look first at your billable hours. Every hour you win back from paperwork and phone tag is an hour you can bill.
Tell customers your rates before you arrive
Most complaints about electricians' bills aren't about the amount. They're about the surprise. A customer who knew the call-out fee, the hourly rate and the billing increment before you knocked rarely argues with the invoice.
- Put your call-out fee and hourly rate on your website, or at least say how you charge.
- Say it again when the booking is made, by phone or by text.
- If the job turns out bigger than expected, stop and tell the customer before you carry on.
- Itemise the invoice: time on site, parts, and the call-out fee as separate lines.
It costs nothing, and it's what earns the five-star review instead of the two-star one.
Fixed price or hourly for electrical work
Fixed prices suit work you can see: power points, lights, fans, smoke alarms, a switchboard swap. Customers prefer them, and if you're quick, you keep the benefit. Hourly suits work you can't see until you open it up: fault finding, old wiring, intermittent trips. Many electricians do both, and say on the quote which parts are fixed and which are charged by the hour. See how to quote a job for a layout that does that clearly.
The short version
Electricians in Australia commonly charge $80 to $150 an hour in business hours, with averages near $100 and state averages between $95 and $105. Call-out fees run from about $50 to $150, and after-hours work commonly adds 50 to 100 percent. Use the market to sense-check your price, but set it from your own costs and billable hours.
Questions
Published 2026 guides put standard residential rates between $80 and $150 an hour, with averages around $100. hipages lists state averages from $95 in South Australia, Western Australia and the ACT to $105 in New South Wales and Victoria.
Roughly $50 to $150 for a standard visit, depending on the source and the area. Some electricians include the first 30 minutes in the fee, others charge a minimum of one hour instead.
After-hours and emergency work commonly costs 50 to 100 percent more. One October 2026 guide lists after-hours call-out fees of $150 to $500, typically $240, and after-hours hourly rates of $130 to $280, typically $190.
The charge-out rate has to cover far more than the wage: super, insurance, the van, tools, test equipment, licences, the hours spent quoting and driving, and profit. That's why it sits well above what an employed electrician is paid.