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Reference · District of Columbia

District of Columbia trade labor costs

What a plumbing, HVAC or electrical tech earns in the District of Columbia, 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.

  • Wages BLS OEWS May 2025
  • Payroll and licenses state agencies
  • Checked and
Plumbing median
$48.57/h+58.4% vs the U.S.1st of 51
HVAC median
$40.57/h+38.3% vs the U.S.1st of 51
Electrical median
$37.97/h+25.0% vs the U.S.7th of 51
New-employer SUTA
2.70%on the first $9,000
Payroll programs
1 programPaid Family Leave
Sales tax on labor
Dependsrepair and installation on buildings

Pay in the District of Columbia

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.

Hourly pay, 10th to 90th percentileDrawn to scale: one dollar axis for all three trades

  • PlumbingU.S. median $30.67

    plumbers: 10th percentile $25.15, 25th $35.88, median $48.57, 75th $55.00, 90th $56.34 an hour; U.S. median $30.67.

  • HVACU.S. median $29.33

    HVAC techs: 10th percentile $24.01, 25th $37.37, median $40.57, 75th $49.01, 90th $52.04 an hour; U.S. median $29.33.

  • ElectricalU.S. median $30.38

    electricians: 10th percentile $24.97, 25th $29.44, median $37.97, 75th $58.68, 90th $60.48 an hour; U.S. median $30.38.

  • 25th–75th percentile
  • State median
  • U.S. median
Hourly pay by percentile for plumbers, HVAC techs and electricians in District of Columbia, BLS OEWS May 2025
PercentilePlumbingHVACElectrical
10th$25.15$24.01$24.97
25th$35.88$37.37$29.44
Median$48.57$40.57$37.97
75th$55.00$49.01$58.68
90th$56.34$52.04$60.48
Mean$43.85$40.83$42.72
U.S. median$30.67$29.33$30.38
vs U.S.+58.4%+38.3%+25.0%
Rank1st1st7th
Jobs1,0104002,440

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.

Payroll costs the state adds

What the District of Columbia 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.

State unemployment tax (SUTA)

District of Columbia Department of Employment Services (DOES), Office of Unemployment Compensation Tax

Wage base
$9,000 per employee a year
New-employer rate
2.70%
Construction
Same as other new employers

D.C. Department of Employment Services: “All new employers, including construction companies, are assigned the same standard rate”: the higher of the average rate of all employers or 2.7%.

Charged with it

Per tech, a year 2.70% × $9,000 = $243With the administrative assessment fee billed on top: (2.70% + 0.20%) × $9,000 = $261At the new-employer rate, for a plumber paid the state median ($48.57 × 2,080 h = $101,026). The calculator uses the rate alone.

State pages read

Workers’ compensation

D.C. Department of Employment Services, Office of Workers' Compensation

Who must carry it
Any employeeEmployers with one or more employees in the District of Columbia must cover all of them; casual workers and unpaid volunteers are not covered. does.dc.gov
Where to buy it
Private insurersEmployers insure with a company authorized to write workers’ compensation and approved by the Mayor, or get OWC authorization to self-insure (D.C. Code § 32-1534(a)). Most buy a policy from an insurer licensed in the District. does.dc.gov
Owners
Sole proprietors are not covered. If a corporation fails to insure, its president, secretary and treasurer are personally liable, jointly with the corporation, for the fine and for benefits owed (D.C. Code § 32-1539(a)). does.dc.gov · code.dccouncil.gov
Construction
If a subcontractor has not secured coverage, the contractor is liable for and must secure compensation for the subcontractor’s employees (D.C. Code § 32-1503(c)). code.dccouncil.gov

Statute and agency pages read

DC Paid Family Leave (Universal Paid Leave)

In effect in 2026 DC Department of Employment Services (DOES) - Office of Paid Family Leave

Total rate
0.75%of wages (statutory rate in D.C. Code 32-541.03)
Employer pays
Employer-paid 0.75%
Wage cap
No cap
Employees
The statute puts the whole contribution on the employer and has no provision for employee deductions (DC Code sections 32-541.01 to 32-541.10)

Employer’s own cost, share of wages 5 employees: 0.75%20 employees: 0.75%In a 20-person shop that is about $758 a year for a plumber paid the state median. Add it to Benefits in the calculator.

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.

What a shop in the District of Columbia needs to charge

The calculator’s example shop — three techs, $120,000 of overhead, a truck each, 10% net profit — with the District of Columbia’s median wage for each trade and its unemployment tax filled in. Your own numbers will differ; change them in the calculator below.

Example shopBreak-evenRate, 10% profit
Plumbingwage $48.57$151.10$167.89→ $170
HVACwage $40.57$133.93$148.81→ $150
Electricalwage $37.97$128.35$142.61→ $145

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).

Change the numbers for your shop

The labor rate calculator, opened on the District of Columbia: pick your trade, put in your own crew, pay and overhead, and the rate and break-even redraw as you type.

Your labor rate

Who does the billable work?

Example shop in the District of Columbia: 3 techs at the District’s median plumber wage, $120,000 overhead. Change any number or pick another state.

Charge at least Example shop · District of Columbia

Charge at least $167.89 per billable hour; break-even $151.10.

Round up to $170 (+$2.11)

See it drawn to scale
Rate build-upDrawn to scale: every dollar the same height
Rate build-up for the example, drawn to scaleColumn from $0 to $167.89 per billable hour, drawn to scale: wage $83.03, taxes & benefits $21.46, overhead $32.87, truck $13.74, profit 10% $16.79. Break-even line at $151.10. Rounded up to $170.12345$0Labor$104.49Break-even$151.10Your rate$167.89Round up to$170
  1. Wage$101,025.60 ÷ 1,216.8 h$83.03
  2. Taxes & benefits25.85% of pay$21.46
  3. Overhead$120,000 ÷ 3,650.4 h$32.87
  4. Truck$16,719.14 ÷ 1,216.8 h$13.74
  5. Profit 10%of the price$16.79
Break-even
$151.10
Profit per hour
$16.79
Revenue a year
$612,873

$151.10 ÷ (1 − 10%) = $167.89rounded up to $170

Already showing the example.

Price your tasks at $170 an hourOpens the price book builder with this rate.

Billable hours
1,216.8per tech a year
Loaded wage
$61.13per paid hour
Labor
$104.49per billable hour
Overhead
$32.87per billable hour
Truck
$13.74per billable hour
Labor burden
25.85%over gross pay

What moves your rate

  • Every billable hour sold under $151.10 loses money.
  • At 70% billable instead of 65%, break-even drops to $140.31, $10.79 an hour less.
  • Cut $10,000 of overhead a year and break-even drops $2.74 an hour, to $148.36.
Show the math
  1. Worked hours2,080 h − 26 days × 8 h = 1,872 h
  2. Billable hours per tech1,872 h × 65% = 1,216.8 h
  3. Gross pay per tech$48.57 × 2,080 h = $101,025.60
  4. Employer taxes and comp$6,263.59 SS + $1,464.87 Medicare + $42.00 FUTA + $243.00 SUTA + $2,697.38 comp = $10,710.84
  5. Benefits$101,025.60 × 15.25% = $15,406.40
  6. Labor per billable hour$127,142.85 ÷ 1,216.8 h = $104.49
  7. Overhead per billable hour$120,000 ÷ (3 × 1,216.8 h) = $32.87
  8. Truck per billable hour$16,719.14 ÷ 1,216.8 h = $13.74
  9. Break-even$104.49 + $32.87 + $13.74 = $151.10
  10. Rate at 10% profit$151.10 ÷ (1 − 10%) = $167.89

Change the numbers

State and trade
Trade

Fills the wage and state unemployment tax (SUTA). Workers’ comp and everything else stay as they are.

Filled for the District of Columbia3 figures
Wage Plumbing
$48.57/hr
District of Columbia median for plumbers · BLS OEWS May 2025
SUTA rate New employer
2.70%
New-employer rate, construction included (DC DOES) · DOL Significant Provisions, July 2026
SUTA wage base Per tech
$9,000
District of Columbia · DOL Significant Provisions, July 2026

Your own rate notice wins. These are new-employer rates: after one to three years the state sets your own, and construction employers often pay a different rate.

The District of Columbia: pay, payroll taxes and licensesSee all 50 states and DC
District of Columbia: the fine print

D.C. Department of Employment Services: “All new employers, including construction companies, are assigned the same standard rate”: the higher of the average rate of all employers or 2.7%.

Crew and pay

People who bill hours. Office staff go in overhead.

Average base pay. Filled: District of Columbia median for plumbers, BLS OEWS May 2025.

Hours and time off2,080 h · 26 days off

40 hours × 52 weeks = 2,080.

Holidays, vacation and sick days, 8 h each. Example: 8 + 11 + 7 (BLS).

Optional. Paid at 1.5 × the wage. Leave 0 if none.

Billable time

Share of worked hours that ends up on invoices. Published figures run from 30% to 65%.

Billable hours1,216.8 hper tech · 3,650.4 h for the shop
Payroll taxes and benefits+25.85% of pay

Filled: District of Columbia new-employer rate, DOL Significant Provisions, July 2026. Your notice wins.

Pay per tech the rate applies to. Filled: District of Columbia, DOL Significant Provisions, July 2026.

Use the rate on your policy. Example: BLS construction average.

Health, retirement and other benefits. Example: BLS construction average.

Loaded wage$61.13per paid hour · burden 25.85%

Included automatically (IRS, tax year 2026): Social Security 6.2% of pay up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45%, federal unemployment (FUTA) 0.6% of the first $7,000.

Shop costs

An example figure. Everything except field pay and trucks — split it in the worksheet below.

Payments, fuel, insurance and upkeep. Enter 0 if trucks are already in overhead.

Profit

Profit as a share of the price, not a markup on cost.

Your rate: $167.89 per billable hour · break-even $151.10. Back to the result

Sales tax on your work

What the District’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.

Labor
DependsReal property maintenance, including minor adjustments, maintenance or repairs that keep a building functional, is taxed. Construction work and major repairs are not.The Office of Tax and Revenue lists lighting maintenance, duct cleaning, and furnace and A/C cleaning and lubricating as taxable, and repairing a pump as a nontaxable major repair.
Materials
Contractor, when buyingThe sale of materials that become part of real property in construction or repair is a taxable retail sale, so the contractor pays tax when buying them.

Read October 24, 2026 on the agency pages listed under Sources. All 50 states and DC side by side.

Licenses and state fees

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.

Plumbing, HVAC and Electrical

State license

District of Columbia Board of Industrial Trades (Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, Occupational and Professional Licensing)

  • Plumbing Master Plumber/Gasfitter license (the Board also issues a plumbing Contractor license)Unless licensed, no person may use the terms 'plumber', 'master plumber', 'master gasfitter' etc. to imply authority to perform plumbing or gasfitting services in the District (D.C. Code 47-2853.123).
  • HVAC Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractor license (with licensed Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic)A 'refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic' is a person who designs, installs, maintains or alters mechanical systems for refrigeration or air conditioning of any public or private building or vehicle (D.C. Code 47-2853.201).
  • Electrical Master Electrician license (the Board also issues an Electrical Contractor license)The Board of Industrial Trades license law governs electricians in the District; Master and Contractor electrician licenses are issued by the Board.
FeeAmount
All three
Application fee (non-refundable)one-time$65
Contractor license feeup to 2 years$120
Contractor renewal feeup to 2 years$180
Plumbing and Electrical
Master license feeup to 2 years$120
Master renewal feeup to 2 years$155

Fees from the Board page (marked 'Fees*'); application fees are non-refundable per D.C. Code 47-2853.10. Exam fee: page says 'See § 3500.3' (DCMR) and exams are scheduled with PSI; amount not stated on the page. Late renewal fee $50.

Plumbing Plumbers and gasfitters licenses expire March 31 of even years. A plumbing and gasfitting bond is required for contractors/designated masters (bond form on DLCP site, not reviewed). Quotes are from the 'Plumbers/Gasfitters' block of the Board’s fee list (similar wording appears under other trades).

HVAC Mechanic license is $110 (renewal $155). Refrigeration and air conditioning licenses expire September 30 of even years. A Refrigeration and Air Conditioning bond is required for trade contractors (bond form on the DLCP site, not reviewed).

Electrical Electrician licenses expire November 30 of odd years. Maryland/Virginia exam-based licensees may qualify by reciprocity. An Electrical bond is required for trade contractors (bond form on the DLCP site, not reviewed).

Keeping the license

Renewal
PlumbingDC plumber and gasfitter licenses run up to two years and all expire on a common date regardless of issue date (the current cycle ended March 31, 2026); master renewal is $155 and contractor renewal $180. content.govdelivery.com · dlcp.dc.govHVACDC refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic licenses run up to two years on a common cycle; the current licenses expired September 30, 2026, and masters designated to a contractor company must renew their $5,000 bonds. content.govdelivery.comElectricalDC electrician occupational licenses run two years from the first of the month they take effect (17 DCMR 205.3); renewals before expiry need the fee and any required bond, and late renewals pay a penalty. dcregs.dc.gov
Continuing ed.
PlumbingThe DC Board of Industrial Trades lists no continuing-education requirement for plumber or gasfitter license renewal. dlcp.dc.gov · content.govdelivery.comHVACThe DC Board of Industrial Trades’ renewal notice for refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics lists only the online renewal and the bond requirement, with no continuing education. content.govdelivery.com · dlcp.dc.govElectricalThe DC electrical renewal rule (17 DCMR 211) lists paid permit fees, satisfactory work, an approved bond and the renewal fee as the conditions for renewal; it sets no continuing education. dcregs.dc.gov · dlcp.dc.gov
Reciprocity
PlumbingSince October 2025, journeyman and master plumbers and gasfitters licensed by examination in Maryland can get a DC license through reciprocity without the exam. content.govdelivery.comHVACThe Board of Industrial Trades offers reciprocity only for Maryland and Virginia electricians and Maryland plumbers; no reciprocity is listed for refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics. dlcp.dc.govElectricalJourneyman and master electricians licensed by examination in Maryland or Virginia can get a DC license through reciprocity without the exam. dlcp.dc.gov

Sources read

Beyond the trade license

Contractor registration, bond and insurance the state asks of a trade shop

Registration
Check with the stateThe official pages and rules we read on November 4, 2026 do not settle it.
Bond
$5,000The DC Board of Industrial Trades requires a $5,000 surety bond for a master plumber/gasfitter or master refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic designated to a contractor company, and a separate $5,000 bond for the contracting company. Electrical contractors and designated master electricians also file a bond, but the DLCP electrical bond form leaves the amount blank. content.govdelivery.com · dlcp.dc.gov · dcregs.dc.gov
Insurance
DLCP’s list of license types that must keep a certificate of insurance on file covers home improvement and general contractors (and non-construction businesses), not Board of Industrial Trades plumbing, electrical or refrigeration licenses; the board’s application checklist asks for a bond, not insurance. dlcp.dc.gov

Board and statute pages read

State or city license?

State license only Who licenses the trades in the District

The District of Columbia is a single jurisdiction: the DC Board of Industrial Trades in the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection licenses plumbers, electricians and refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics, and there is no separate city or county trade license. dlcp.dc.gov

State and city pages read

What District 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.

Mechanic’s lien

D.C. Code §§ 40-301.01 to 40-303.20aChapter 3. Mechanics, Materialmen, and Contractors.

You, hired by the owner
No notice to startThere is no separate pre-lien notice: a contractor hired by the owner keeps its lien by recording a notice of intent in the land records during construction or within 90 days after completion or termination, and must mail a copy to the owner by certified mail within 5 business days after recording (posting it on the property if the mail comes back) (§ 40-301.02). code.dccouncil.gov
Subs and suppliers
No preliminary noticeD.C. has no preliminary notice for subs and suppliers; a sub, supplier or laborer hired by the contractor records the same notice of intent and must also serve it on the owner, and until it does the owner may keep paying the contractor and every such payment reduces the sub’s claim (§§ 40-303.01, 40-303.03). code.dccouncil.gov
File the lien
90 daysRecord the notice of intent with the Recorder of Deeds during construction or within 90 days after the earlier of completion or termination of the project; if you miss it the lien ends (§ 40-301.02(a)). Subcontractors and suppliers have the same rights and obligations (§ 40-303.01). code.dccouncil.gov
Enforce it
180 daysFile suit to enforce the lien within 180 days after the notice of intent is recorded, and record a notice of pendency of action within 10 days after filing; missing either ends the lien (§ 40-303.13). code.dccouncil.gov
Homes
If the work was done under a home improvement contract (residential repair, remodeling or additions on a form approved by the Department of Buildings), the notice of intent must include a copy of that contract (§§ 40-301.02(b)(8), 40-301.03). code.dccouncil.gov

Statutes read

Payment deadlines and retainage

Private jobs (public contracts have their own rules)

Prompt payment
Statute sets deadlinesIf a private construction contract sets no payment dates, the owner must pay undisputed amounts within 15 days after the earliest of the occupancy permit, the owner taking possession, or the owner receiving a payment request; if it sets dates, within 7 days after each date (§ 27A-102). Contractors must pay subs within 7 days after being paid for the sub’s work (§ 27A-104). Late payments carry interest of 1.5% per month plus attorney’s fees if you win in court (§§ 27A-103, 27A-105). code.dccouncil.gov
Retainage
No private-job capD.C. sets no retainage cap on private jobs; the private prompt-payment law only counts retainage as part of the undisputed amounts that must be paid on time (§ 27A-101(5)). code.dccouncil.gov

Statutes read

Heating and cooling season in the District of Columbia

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 Reagan National Airport, month by month.

Heating degree days
3,769
Cooling degree days
1,738
Nights ≤ 32 °F
60
Days ≥ 90 °F
40
Normal heating and cooling degree days (base 65 °F) and freezing nights by month at Reagan National Airport, NOAA 1991–2020 normals
MonthHeatingCoolingNights ≤ 32 °F
Jan854020
Feb699015
Mar54438
Apr236321
May63132–
Jun4343–
Jul0496–
Aug0446–
Sep16238–
Oct17545–
Nov45524
Dec724013

Reagan National Airport has two working seasons: 3,769 heating and 1,738 cooling degree days a year, heating peaking in January and cooling in July.

The lightest months for heating and cooling together are May and October (195 and 220 degree days).

Nights at or below 32 °F: about 60 a year, ten or more a month in December through February. Days reaching 90 °F: about 40 a year, the most in July.

NOAA’s population-weighted state figures cover only the 48 contiguous states, so the District of Columbia is shown by this station alone.

Station: Reagan National Airport (USW00013743), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 — station file. Bars share one scale: the longest is 854 degree days. Read .

Sources

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.

  1. May 2025 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates (state file oesm25st)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · read October 28, 2026
  2. Occupational Employment and Wages — May 2025 (news release USDL-26-0725, May 15, 2026)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · read October 28, 2026
  3. Public Data API (national OEWS series for the three occupations)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · read October 28, 2026
  4. Unemployment insurance tax rates (essp.does.dc.gov)District of Columbia Department of Employment Services (DOES), Office of Unemployment Compensation Tax · read October 28, 2026
  5. Unemployment insurance tax rates (does.dc.gov)District of Columbia Department of Employment Services (DOES), Office of Unemployment Compensation Tax · read October 28, 2026
  6. Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws, Effective July 2026U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Unemployment Insurance · read October 28, 2026
  7. DC Paid Family Leave (Universal Paid Leave)DC Department of Employment Services (DOES) - Office of Paid Family Leave · read October 28, 2026
  8. Taxable and Non-Taxable ServicesDC Office of Tax and Revenue · no date shown · read October 24, 2026
  9. Sales Tax on Real Property Maintenance ServicesDC Office of Tax and Revenue · no date shown · read October 24, 2026
  10. D.C. Code § 47-2001, DefinitionsCouncil of the District of Columbia · no date shown · read October 24, 2026
  11. D.C. Code §§ 40-301.01 to 40-303.20a — Chapter 3. Mechanics, Materialmen, and Contractors.Official state code · read November 4, 2026
  12. Workers’ compensation coverage requirementsD.C. Department of Employment Services, Office of Workers' Compensation · read November 4, 2026
  13. U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, Reagan National Airport (USW00013743)NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · read November 4, 2026