How to Calculate Restoration Equipment Rental Cost
The Restoration Directory Editorial Team · Published
When a job needs more equipment than you own, rented units become a direct cost that has to be tracked accurately.
To total your own rental, open the Equipment Rental Calculator. This guide explains its arithmetic and the agreement details the calculator cannot decide for you.
The Basic Calculation
For each type of equipment:
- Row subtotal = count × daily rate × billable days
Then:
- Total = sum of row subtotals + transport fee
Hypothetical example: 2 dehumidifiers at $65 per day for 3 billable days, plus a $50 transport fee.
- Row subtotal: 2 × $65 × 3 = $390
- Total: $390 + $50 = $440
The rates in this example are invented for illustration. They are not market prices.
Use One Row per Equipment Type
Different equipment usually has different rates and durations. Give each its own row and name it in Equipment Name (Optional).
If two air scrubbers stay for five days and one dehumidifier stays for three, those are two rows. Combining them into one row with an averaged rate or duration hides what was actually rented.
A row with some but not all of Count, Daily Rate, and Billable Days filled in is left out of the totals and counted as incomplete.
Flat Fees Belong in One Place
If your agreement quotes delivery, pickup, or transport as a one-time charge, enter it once rather than multiplying it by days or units.
The calculator's Transport Fee (Optional) field adds that amount once to the total. Do not also build it into a daily rate, or it will be multiplied by count and days.
If an agreement has other one-time charges, such as cleaning fees, record them separately in your file. The calculator has one flat-fee field so that its result stays easy to read.
Partial Days, Weekends and Weekly Rates
Billable Days must be a whole number of at least one. The calculator does not count calendar dates and does not round partial days up or down.
Your rental agreement determines how partial days, weekends, and minimum charges are billed. This calculator accepts whole billable days and daily rates; it does not interpret the agreement for you.
Check weekly, monthly, and partial-day quotes separately against the agreement. Do not put a weekly charge in the daily-rate field: the resulting labels and summary would misrepresent the billing period.
Supplier Cost Is Not a Customer Charge
The calculator totals what the rental costs your company. It is not an invoice and not a price for the customer.
What you bill for equipment, and whether an insurer or program accepts that charge, depends on your pricing, your contract, and the payer's guidelines. Rental cost does not create an entitlement to reimbursement.
To compare rental and other direct costs with what you bill, use the Job Cost and Margin Calculator.
Owned Equipment Is a Different Question
This calculator is for rented equipment with a known rate. The cost of using equipment you own involves depreciation, maintenance, and utilization, which are not calculated here.
For operating cost while equipment runs, the Equipment Electricity Calculator estimates energy use from wattage and runtime. For how equipment costs fit job-level reporting, see Job Costing for Water, Fire, and Mold Restoration Projects.
Total Your Rental
Enter each equipment type in the Equipment Rental Calculator and use Copy Summary to paste the rental total into your job file.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Calculate Equipment Rental Cost?
Multiply count by daily rate by billable days for each equipment type, add the rows together, and add any one-time transport fee.
Does the Calculator Round Partial Days?
No. Billable days must be a whole number you enter. How partial days are billed depends on your rental agreement.
Should I Include the Transport Fee in the Daily Rate?
No. Enter it once in the transport fee field so it is not multiplied by count and days.
Is the Rental Total What I Should Charge the Customer?
No. It is your supplier cost. Customer pricing and payer acceptance depend on your pricing, contracts, and the payer's guidelines.
Disclaimer
This article provides general operational education, not accounting or legal advice. Hypothetical rates are illustrations, not market prices. Rental terms are governed by your agreement with the supplier.
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