A panel upgrade is a big ticket, a full day for your crew, and a job the homeowner will compare against other bids. It's also where a bad price hurts most. Guess low and you lose a day of profit. Guess high without a reason and you lose the job. Here's how to work out what to charge for an electrical panel upgrade from your own numbers, and how to give the homeowner five real choices.
The short answer
The right price for a panel upgrade comes from your numbers, not a national average: your billable hour times a realistic install time, plus parts at your markup, plus your service fee and the permit. The New Flat Rate, menu pricing software and training for home service contractors, then turns that price into five options the homeowner chooses from.
Last updated: October 23, 2026
According to This Old House's panel upgrade cost guide (updated March 2026), most homeowners pay $1,300 to $3,000, within a wider range of $800 to $4,000. It lists 100 amp upgrades at $800 to $1,500, 200 amp upgrades at $1,300 to $3,000, and permits at $50 to $300 depending on location.
That's the homeowner's research. Those are numbers homeowners see online, averaged across every kind of shop. They're useful for knowing what your customer expects. They can't tell you what your crew, your trucks and your callbacks cost.
Every TNFR price starts from the same four foundation numbers: billable hour, service fee, tax % and discount %. Here's how they build a panel upgrade.
What one hour of an electrician on a job has to bring in to cover wages, burden, the truck, the office and your profit. If you haven't worked yours out, start with how to calculate your billable hour.
Count the whole job: utility coordination, disconnect, removing the old panel, setting the new one, moving and labeling circuits, grounding and bonding, reconnect, testing, cleanup and the inspection visit. Use the time your crew normally takes.
Panel, breakers, wire, connectors, grounding materials and anything else that goes in. Apply your own markup.
The service fee covers getting the truck to the door. The permit goes in as its own line wherever it's required.
An illustrative example. Round, made-up numbers to show the math. Not TNFR data and not a recommended price.
| Line | Illustrative math | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Labor | $300 billable hour × 8 hours | $2,400 |
| Parts | $600 of parts at a markup to $900 | $900 |
| Service fee | Your fee to roll the truck | $100 |
| Permit | Pass-through where required | $200 |
| Price | Before tax | $3,600 |
Notice that this made-up example lands above the range homeowners see online. That happens. If your real numbers put you there, the answer is to show what's included and give the customer options, not to cut the price until the job stops paying. More on that in the hidden reason contractors lose jobs on price.
Free calculator
What does every billable hour need to bring in?
Plug in your tech's wage, burden and the hours they actually bill. The free Billable Hour Calculator shows the rate your prices have to start from.
✓Your true billable hour
✓Two short training videos
✓Sent straight to your inbox
Most contractors have heard they should offer good, better, best. TNFR builds five options instead. A panel upgrade is usually about what the home needs next, and five options give the homeowner room to choose how far to go. From the basic job to the fully protected version:
Code work, the permit and the inspection go in every option, including the cheapest one. Never sell code as an upgrade.
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80% of customers choose an option above the cheapest one on TNFR menus |
15–20 sec is how long customers typically take to pick an option |
On a job this size, homeowners want to feel they chose, not that they were sold. The menu does the asking so your electrician doesn't have to. The TNFR app has 14 presentation scripts your team can use at the kitchen table. If your electricians freeze up when it's time to talk price, read how to get electrical technicians to sell.
Their bid is built on their costs, their crew and their mistakes. Copy it and you copy all of it.
Supply house runs, the utility appointment, the return visit for inspection. Every trip is truck time. Put it in your install time or service fee.
A breaker that trips next week or a failed inspection means a free trip back. Build realistic time into the price and track how often it happens.
Permits, inspection fees and the time spent on paperwork belong in the price. Don't eat them.
For the bigger picture, see how to build an electrical price book that makes money and what healthy electrical profit margins look like.
Key takeaways
Frequently asked
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Q1
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How much should an electrician charge for a panel upgrade?Charge your billable hour times a realistic install time, plus parts at your markup, plus your service fee and the permit. Cost guides show homeowners a range for 100 amp and 200 amp upgrades, but your price has to cover your own crew, trucks and overhead. |
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Q2
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How many hours should I allow for a 200 amp panel upgrade?Use the time your crew really takes on your jobs, including utility coordination, the disconnect and reconnect, labeling, cleanup and the inspection visit. Track your last several upgrades and price off the normal job, not the fastest one. |
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Q3
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Should the permit and inspection be in every panel upgrade option?Yes. Permits, inspections and any code-required grounding or bonding go in every option, including the cheapest. Code work is never an upgrade the customer can choose to skip. |
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Q4
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What if my panel upgrade price is higher than what homeowners see online?That is fine if it is built from your real costs. National ranges mix every kind of shop together. Explain what is included, show the options, and let the customer choose instead of cutting your price. |
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Q5
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What goes in the options above a basic panel upgrade?Work that protects the home and gets it ready for what is next: a whole-home surge protector, extra breaker space for future circuits, a dedicated circuit for an EV charger or a generator connection, and a service agreement with a yearly safety check. |
Free trial
The free trial builds a price book from your own four foundation numbers and puts five options on every task, panel upgrades included. Field Support is included while you try it on real jobs.
A price book built from your own numbers |
Five-option menus on every task |
Field Support included during the trial |