Reference · State of Alabama
What a plumbing, HVAC or electrical tech earns in Alabama, what the state adds to payroll, whether labor is taxed, what a license costs, how lien rights work and when the heating and cooling seasons peak — each figure from the agency that sets it, with the date we read it.
Hourly pay across all industries, May 2025. Half of the workers in each trade earn less than the median and half earn more; one in ten earns less than the 10th percentile. Union and non-union, no self-employed.
PlumbingU.S. median $30.67
plumbers: 10th percentile $18.14, 25th $22.63, median $28.21, 75th $31.12, 90th $36.87 an hour; U.S. median $30.67.
HVACU.S. median $29.33
HVAC techs: 10th percentile $17.56, 25th $19.39, median $23.26, 75th $28.86, 90th $31.58 an hour; U.S. median $29.33.
ElectricalU.S. median $30.38
electricians: 10th percentile $18.09, 25th $22.17, median $26.78, 75th $30.98, 90th $37.61 an hour; U.S. median $30.38.
| Percentile | Plumbing | HVAC | Electrical |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $18.14 | $17.56 | $18.09 |
| 25th | $22.63 | $19.39 | $22.17 |
| Median | $28.21 | $23.26 | $26.78 |
| 75th | $31.12 | $28.86 | $30.98 |
| 90th | $36.87 | $31.58 | $37.61 |
| Mean | $27.77 | $24.67 | $27.65 |
| U.S. median | $30.67 | $29.33 | $30.38 |
| vs U.S. | −8.0% | −20.7% | −11.8% |
| Rank | 40th | 50th | 50th |
| Jobs | 6,950 | 8,260 | 10,900 |
Dollars an hour. BLS occupations: Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters (SOC 47-2152); Heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers (SOC 49-9021); Electricians (SOC 47-2111). “vs U.S.” compares the medians; rank 1 is the highest median of the 50 states and DC. Released May 15, 2026; the next survey is due each spring.
What Alabama charges an employer on top of wages: unemployment tax, and any paid-leave or disability program funded through payroll, and who must carry workers’ comp. Federal Social Security, Medicare and unemployment tax apply in every state and are already in the calculator. Workers’ comp premiums depend on the class code and the insurer, so the card gives the rules, not a rate.
Per tech, a year 2.70% × $8,000 = $216At the new-employer rate, for a plumber paid the state median ($28.21 × 2,080 h = $58,677). The calculator uses the rate alone.
State pages read
Statute and agency pages read
We found no state paid family and medical leave or temporary disability insurance program funded through payroll in Alabama on October 28, 2026. State paid sick leave rules, where they exist, are not covered here.
New-employer rates usually last one to three years — longer in some states (four years in Indiana, four to five in D.C.); then the state assigns your own rate, and your rate notice wins over any figure here. The calculator below uses the new-employer rate where one is clear. Where a state’s own pages could not be read, the card says so and gives the U.S. Labor Department’s figure.
The calculator’s example shop — three techs, $120,000 of overhead, a truck each, 10% net profit — with Alabama’s median wage for each trade and its unemployment tax filled in. Your own numbers will differ; change them in the calculator below.
| Example shop | Break-even | Rate, 10% profit |
|---|---|---|
| Plumbingwage $28.21 | $107.38 | $119.31→ $120 |
| HVACwage $23.26 | $96.75 | $107.50→ $110 |
| Electricalwage $26.78 | $104.31 | $115.90→ $120 |
Per billable hour; → is the rate rounded up, as the calculator rounds it. Everything except the wage and the unemployment tax is the national example (BLS, IRS and DOL figures listed on the labor rate calculator).
The labor rate calculator, opened on Alabama: pick your trade, put in your own crew, pay and overhead, and the rate and break-even redraw as you type.
Charge at least Example shop · Alabama
Charge at least $119.31 per billable hour; break-even $107.38.
Round up to $120 (+$0.69)
See it drawn to scale$107.38 ÷ (1 − 10%) = $119.31rounded up to $120
Price your tasks at $120 an hourOpens the price book builder with this rate.
What moves your rate
What Alabama’s tax agency says about repair and installation labor on buildings and the parts and fixtures that go into them. This is what the agency’s pages say, not tax advice.
Read October 24, 2026 on the agency pages listed under Sources. All 50 states and DC side by side.
The license a shop needs from the state to contract for each trade, the board that issues it and the fees on its own schedule. Cities and counties can add their own licenses, registrations and permit fees; exam vendors and fingerprinting may charge more.
State license
Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board
Master Plumber certificate (plus annual Business registration with the Board)
Master Plumber: a person or legal entity that engages in or works at the installation, repair, or replacement of plumbing systems; may register with the board as principal for any business, firm, or corporation.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Master written examination fee (non-refundable)one-time (per exam) | $160 |
| Business law examination fee (non-refundable)one-time (per exam) | $100 |
| Initial application processing feeone-time | $50 |
| Initial Master certificate feeone-time (first year) | $175 |
| Business registration feeinitial, then $25 per year renewal | $25 |
| Master certificate renewal feeper year | $175 |
Fees from Ala. Admin. Code r. 720-X-4-.01 (amended, operative Jan 1, 2026). Since Jan 1, 2026 both the master trade exam and the Business Law exam must be passed. Late renewal penalty for master level is $175.
State license
Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors
Heating & Air Conditioning Contractor certification (Active status); Refrigeration Contractor for commercial refrigeration
Active status: contractors who perform HVAC or refrigeration installation, service or repair; requires a business name and a $20,000 performance bond.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Written examination feeone-time (per exam) | $175 |
| Initial certification feeACTIVE heating and air conditioning licenseone-time (first year) | $220 |
| Annual renewal feeACTIVE heating and air conditioning licenseper year | $220 |
Rule 440-X-3-.10 also lists a $375 practical examination fee, a $250 late renewal fee (after Dec 31) and $110/year inactive status. Active status also needs a $20,000 performance bond (cost not a state fee). Board page adds a 4% service fee for credit-card payment.
Sources read
State license
Alabama Board of Electrical Contractors
Electrical Contractor (also called Master Electrician)
Electrical Contractor: any person, firm, or corporation engaged in the business of soliciting and installing, maintaining, altering, or repairing electrical power or control systems; term interchangeable with 'Master Electrician'.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Electrical Contractor examination feeone-time (per exam) | $165 |
| Electrical Contractor license feeone-time (first year) | $150 |
| Electrical Contractor renewal feeper year | $150 |
Rule 303-X-3-.10 (fees effective Jan 17, 2026). Reciprocal Electrical Contractor license is $315; restoration renewal $50 per year; 4% card service fee per Board page.
Sources read
Contractor registration, bond and insurance the state asks of a trade shop
Board and statute pages read
State and local Who licenses the trades in Alabama
All three trades are licensed by state boards. State plumbing and gas certificates must be accepted by every city and county, which may not require their own competency exam (Ala. Code 34-37-8); the state electrical rules still exempt electricians licensed by the county or city where the work is done, so local electrical licenses exist. Huntsville requires state-board certification plus city permits. pgfb.alabama.gov · admincode.legislature.state.al.us · huntsvilleal.gov
State and city pages read
What Alabama law says about lien rights on private jobs — the notices, the deadline to file and the deadline to sue — and whether a statute sets payment deadlines or caps retainage. Read from the statute itself; it is not legal advice.
Ala. Code §§ 35-11-210 to 35-11-234Title 35 Property, Chapter 11 Liens, Division 8 Mechanics and Materialmen
Statutes read
Private jobs (public contracts have their own rules)
Statutes read
Degree days, NOAA’s index of the energy it takes to heat or cool a building: each degree a day’s mean temperature falls below 65 °F is one heating degree day, each degree above is one cooling degree day. Thirty-year normals for Birmingham airport, month by month.
| Month | Heating | Cooling | Nights ≤ 32 °F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 631 | 2 | 15 |
| Feb | 459 | 4 | 10 |
| Mar | 301 | 23 | 4 |
| Apr | 117 | 74 | 1 |
| May | 21 | 223 | – |
| Jun | 0 | 399 | – |
| Jul | 0 | 513 | – |
| Aug | 0 | 494 | – |
| Sep | 6 | 324 | – |
| Oct | 105 | 104 | – |
| Nov | 344 | 14 | 5 |
| Dec | 550 | 4 | 12 |
Birmingham airport has two working seasons: 2,534 heating and 2,177 cooling degree days a year, heating peaking in January and cooling in July.
The lightest months for heating and cooling together are April and October (190 and 209 degree days).
Nights at or below 32 °F: about 47 a year, ten or more a month in December through January. Days reaching 90 °F: about 65 a year, the most in July.
Weighted by where Alabama’s people live, NOAA’s statewide normals (1981–2010) are 2,768 heating and 1,863 cooling degree days — 41st for heating and 8th for cooling among the 48 contiguous states (the contiguous U.S.: 4,332 and 1,272).
Station: Birmingham airport (USW00013876), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 — station file; statewide figures: NOAA Climate Prediction Center. Bars share one scale: the longest is 631 degree days. Read .
Each page opened on the date shown. License, registration, lien and workers’ comp sources are linked beside each fact above. Figures change: the agency’s own page wins over this one.