When should a small trade business raise its prices?

Review trade prices when the cost of delivering the service, its scope or your capacity has changed. A price rise should have a clear basis in the business and be communicated under the customer’s agreement. It is not justified merely because another provider charges more.

Explore the wider pricing and quoting guides for the steps around this decision.

Review the inputs first

Input	Evidence to inspect
Labour	Actual person-hours and the business’s current cost
Materials	Supplier prices, quantities and delivery
Travel	Route allocation and productive time
Equipment	Use, maintenance and hire requirements
Scope	Extra tasks that became routine without repricing
Capacity	Whether the service mix still fits available hours

Do not use a general inflation figure as a substitute for your own cost record. Review different services separately where their inputs differ.

An illustrative review

A regular service once modelled at EUR 35 of costs now requires EUR 42 on the same defined cost basis. At a chosen 30% contribution margin, its modelled price changes from EUR 50 to EUR 60 before tax treatment. These are teaching inputs, not Irish market prices or a recommendation to apply that increase to every customer.

Check whether the change comes from higher inputs, longer service time or unpriced additions. A scope correction may be as important as a new number.

Tell customers what changes

Hi [name], I am reviewing the price of [service] at [site]. From [agreed effective date], the proposed price is [amount and tax basis] for [scope]. [Explain the relevant change briefly.] Please let me know if you would like to discuss the service before confirming the next booking.

Adapt that wording to the contract and applicable consumer rules. Do not backdate a rise or silently alter an accepted quote. Keep the old agreement and the confirmed new price in the customer record so the crew and office work from the same position.

Connect this to the next step

Continue with How to build a price book for a small trades business. If the next issue is elsewhere in the workflow, use Quoted cost vs actual cost: a weekly job review.

See JobDiary quoting and invoicing to check how the product supports this work. Use the current product description and a trial to verify the fit for your business.

Sources and scope

• Local Enterprise Office: costing and pricing

Source scope reviewed on 1 October 2026. Worked examples are illustrative; they are not market averages or customer results.