Snow removal cost calculator

Decide whether to pay a snow plow per visit or sign a flat seasonal contract, on the one thing that settles it: how often it snows. Enter the per-visit price, the seasonal rate, and how many plows you expect, and see the cost each way plus the break-even number of storms where the contract starts to pay.

Pay-per-visit, this season

$660

Pay per visit (price × expected plows)$660
Flat seasonal contract$650
Price per plow visit$55

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What this assumes, and where it could be wrong

Every one of these is a place the number could be off. They are here because you should be able to check our working, not because we are hedging.

PER VISIT VERSUS SEASONAL IS A BET ON THE WINTER.

Pay-per-visit costs you nothing in a mild winter and adds up fast in a snowy one. A flat seasonal contract is the reverse: you pay the same whether it snows twice or twenty times, so it is insurance against a bad winter and a loss in a mild one. The break-even is the number of plows at which they cost the same, and above it the contract wins

The break-even is the seasonal price divided by the per-visit price. If the contract is $650 and a visit is $55, the contract pays off at about twelve plows: fewer than that and pay-per-visit is cheaper, more and the contract is. Compare it to a normal winter where you live, not to last year's freak season.

A seasonal contract usually buys priority, not just price. In a big storm, contract customers often get plowed first and pay-per-visit callers wait, sometimes a day. If you need to get out for work the morning after a storm, that priority can be worth more than the price difference, which the arithmetic alone does not capture.

Per-visit pricing has triggers and extras in the fine print. Some plows only come out above a snow depth, charge more for a heavy or overnight storm, or bill extra to clear the end of the drive the town plow filled back in. Read what a 'visit' includes before you compare it to a contract.

The snow removal defaults are ours and a starting point you can edit. The per-visit price, the seasonal rate, and the expected plows are yours, and the honest answer depends most on getting the number of plows for a normal winter right.

Frequently asked questions

How much does snow removal cost?

Per visit, a residential driveway is commonly a few tens of dollars each plow, more for a big or steep one. A flat seasonal contract is a few hundred to cover the winter. Which is cheaper depends entirely on how much it snows: the calculator compares the two on your numbers and shows the break-even.

Is a seasonal snow contract worth it?

It is worth it if you expect more plows than the break-even, which is the seasonal price divided by the per-visit price. Above that number of storms the contract saves money, and it also usually buys priority plowing after a big storm. In a mild winter you pay for snow that never falls, so it is a bet on the season and a hedge against a bad one.

What is the break-even for a snow removal contract?

It is the seasonal contract price divided by the price of a single plow visit. At a $650 contract and $55 a visit, that is about twelve plows: below twelve, pay per visit; above, take the contract. Compare that break-even to a normal winter in your area, not to an unusually mild or severe one.

Why did my snow removal bill have extra charges?

Per-visit plowing often carries triggers and surcharges: a minimum snow depth before they come, a higher rate for heavy or overnight storms, and an extra to clear the compacted pile the town plow leaves across the end of your driveway. A 'visit' is not always one flat number, so read what triggers a charge before comparing it to a flat contract.

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