How much should errand runners charge?

Errand running is billed hourly almost everywhere, since job length and mix of tasks vary too widely for a fixed per-visit price to make sense — set your real hourly rate here, then quote multi-errand jobs as estimated hours x rate.

What moves the rate

• Task type — simple pickups and drop-offs price lower than personal shopping or tasks requiring judgment (comparing items, handling cash/cards, coordinating with a pharmacy or office)
• Mileage and travel spread — errands across multiple stops or a wider radius add real drive time and vehicle wear on top of task time
• Urgency and scheduling — same-day or rush requests, and evening/weekend/holiday bookings, commonly carry a premium
• Client type — senior and disability-focused errand services often justify a higher rate given the added care, communication, and reliability expected
• Handling client funds or cards — some runners charge more for tasks that involve fronting or handling the client's money, reflecting the added trust and record-keeping
• Local cost of living and market — urban/high-income areas support higher rates than rural or lower-cost markets
• Subscription/retainer clients — offering a monthly bundle of errands at a modest discount can smooth out income vs. one-off bookings

baseHourly of $30 matches the commonly-cited national average for personal errand/shopping services (roughly $28-30/hr), with typicalRateRange (25-45/hr) covering both lower-cost-of-living markets and the higher end for judgment-heavy personal shopping — dedicated concierge services (which often bundle far more than errands) can run $35-70+/hr, but that's a distinct, more premium service tier not modeled by this base calculator. The $3,800/yr expense default reflects this profession's real cost structure for someone using their own vehicle rather than buying a dedicated one: commercial auto insurance (~$1,500-3,000/yr, often the single biggest line item since a personal auto policy typically excludes business use), general liability insurance (~$400-1,000/yr, protecting against claims if you damage a client's property or a purchased item), a basic surety bond (~$100-250/yr for a $10,000-25,000 bond, which meaningfully builds client trust for a job that involves entering homes and sometimes handling client funds), and scheduling/communication tools plus phone/data costs (roughly $50-200/mo, ~$900/yr). Mileage itself is typically billed to the client separately (IRS business rate) rather than absorbed as a fixed annual cost, so it's not included in this default.