What a Handyman Charges in Toronto (Hourly Rates)

A handyman in the Greater Toronto Area charges roughly $80 to $120 an hour for general repair work. Specialised tasks run $100 to $162 an hour. Those are 2026 GTA figures from the site UrbanTasker. There is almost always a minimum, and it is a floor, not an extra. High Park Handyman publishes a minimum flat rate of $120 for the first hour plus tax, then $100 an hour after that. What matters more is what the person is allowed to touch. Electrical work for hire in Ontario belongs to an ESA-licensed contractor. Plumber and electrician are compulsory trades, so only certified people may do them. Gas work must go to a TSSA-registered contractor.

What Toronto and GTA handymen charge per hour

Every figure below is published by the company or marketplace named on that row, and quoted exactly as it appears there. One line item per row, and no range widened by mixing firms. Three rows are a firm's own rate card (High Park Handyman's two and Canada Handyman's). The rest are those companies' estimates of the wider market. All are here as price sources, not as advice.

A solo operator is cheaper than an insured company, and the gap is wide. Fixrr puts independent handymen at $55 to $155 an hour. It puts insured companies with warranties at $150 to $165 an hour or more. Fixrr says the gap buys someone to answer for the work, not more skill.

"Specialised" is where the legal lines sit. UrbanTasker defines its $100 to $162 band as "drywall repair, basic plumbing, or electrical work". Drywall is handyman work. The other two are not always, and the rest of this guide is why.

The GTA average hides a wide sub-market spread

UrbanTasker names Brampton, Scarborough and the Mississauga suburbs its cheapest GTA markets. Downtown Toronto, Vaughan, Markham and Richmond Hill are its priciest, a gap of 10–25%. It blames parking, elevator booking and condo board access rules.

Minimums, half-days and full days

The minimum is a floor, not an addition. UrbanTasker's $100 to $200 minimum service call fee covers travel and the first hour "even if the job takes 30 minutes". Canada Handyman says call-out fees are "built into the minimum, not added separately". Do not budget an hourly rate on top of it. UrbanTasker squares its own two first-hour figures this way. Most handymen charge the $100 to $200 minimum. Some bill the first hour at a premium $150 to $200, with later hours at $85 to $120. ODDJOB.CA's calculator adds extras such as parking on top of its $75 minimum charge.

So batch the work. Three visits for a tap, a door and a shelf means three minimums. As one block, UrbanTasker's low half-day of $350 for four hours = $87.50 an hour. Its low full day of $650 for eight hours = $81.25 an hour. Basic supplies are often included. Finish or specialty parts are not. ODDJOB says "the cost of consumables like drywall, compound, screws, and anchors is included in all line items", while clients supply towel bars, light bulbs and shelves. High Park lists materials separately with "no mark up". UrbanTasker reports a 15–30% markup where the handyman supplies parts. Disposal varies by job too.

What a handyman may legally do, and what they may not

Three agencies control three parts of your house.

Electrical: an ESA-licensed contractor, or you

The Electrical Safety Authority is blunt about this. Licensed Electrical Contractors are "the only businesses, with certain exemptions, in Ontario legally authorized to do electrical work in your home". Each one carries liability insurance and WSIB coverage. Each must file a notification with ESA. Each can show a seven-digit ECRA/ESA licence number. If a handyman or general contractor passes electrical work on, ESA says it must still go to one of them. Ontario says to write that number down. Check the written estimate carries it, with the ESA permit fees.

You may do it yourself. ESA's DIY page says homeowners have that option. But "even for little jobs, you must file a notification of work (i.e., permit) with ESA before commencing work". Fees vary and "for many small residential projects can be less than $100". The limit is tight. "Only you can do electrical work in your home... Friends, family members or neighbours cannot perform electrical work in your home." Swapping a light fixture is not a grey area. A licensed contractor does it under a notification, or you do.

Plumbing: a compulsory trade

Skilled Trades Ontario lists 23 compulsory trades: "some examples include plumber, electrician, steamfitter and hairstylist". Its plumber trade page spells it out: "because this trade is compulsory, to practice this trade legally in Ontario a person must hold a Registered Training Agreement, Provisional Certificate of Qualification or Certificate of Qualification". They must also appear on the Public Register. The duty lands on you too. Ontario says "you cannot employ or otherwise engage someone to do compulsory trade work, unless they are authorized under the BOSTA to do that work (or are exempted)". BOSTA is Ontario's skilled trades law.

Which jobs count is set by the plumber trade's scope of practice in regulation. Not by a company's service menu, and not by Toronto's building-permit list. So this guide puts no task on either side of that line. Treat plumbing as work to check. Ask for the Certificate of Qualification and check the Public Register before the job starts.

Gas: TSSA-registered contractors only

TSSA states that "under Ontario law, furnaces and fuels-fired appliances must be maintained by TSSA-registered contractors". Every registered contractor must also employ TSSA-certified gas technicians. TSSA ran a campaign in March 2024 against fake fuels workers. It counted some 9,000 registered fuels contractors and 78,000 certified professionals province-wide. It blamed about 65% of the fuels-related incidents in its records on causes including poor installation and poor upkeep. Check a company on TSSA's lookup before anyone touches a furnace, water heater or gas range.

When the job needs a permit as well

The City of Toronto publishes both lists, and the exemptions carry conditions. A permit is needed for structural or material changes, heating and plumbing systems, a second suite, a chimney or wood stove, and a backwater valve. It is needed for a deck more than 60 centimetres (24 inches) above grade. It is also needed for "replacing windows or doors in buildings other than a detached house, semi-detached house, or row house containing a single dwelling unit". That last line is where a condo or apartment unit sits.

The window and door exemption reaches only an existing opening in a detached, semi-detached or row house containing a single dwelling unit. It applies only where "there is no change to the location or size of the window or door opening; the structural support for the opening is not altered or affected; and no new exit is created". The same "in a house" limit covers replacing a furnace or boiler. It also covers adding cooling systems, gas fireplaces, air cleaners, in-line humidifiers or hot water tanks. Also exempt: repairing and replacing plumbing fixtures, roofing replacement that needs no structural work, and basement waterproofing. So is finishing a basement of a house with no structural changes, no new unit and no new plumbing. The City warns the list is not exhaustive. It also says "even if a building permit is not required, compliance with the Zoning Bylaw is required". Ontario adds: "It's your responsibility to get building permits."

Deposits, estimates and the 10-day window

The deposit is where homeowners lose money fastest. Ontario's warning is plain. Never let a contractor talk you into a large down payment "to pay for materials". They may cash it and never finish the job. Keep down payments small, the province says. It suggests 10%. Never pay in full before the work is done.

Three rules under the Consumer Protection Act do the rest:

• Anything over $50 must be in writing. A home renovation contract worth more than $50 must be a written contract.
• A written estimate caps the bill at 10%. If an estimate is part of your contract, the final price cannot be more than 10% over it. The exception is new work or a new price that you agreed to and signed. So insist that the estimate goes in.
• A contract signed in your home can be cancelled for ten days. One worth $50 or more signed in your home carries a 10 calendar-day cooling-off period. You can cancel for any reason with no fee. Cancel after work has begun and you owe fair payment for what was done.

Ontario also recommends three written estimates and three checked references. It says the contract should list the work, warranty, total cost, payment schedule, deposit and any sub-trades.

Insurance and WSIB: who is covered if someone is hurt

Ontario tells you that "workers and independent operators in the construction industry must possess workplace safety and insurance coverage. There are some exceptions." The handyman at your door is often an exception.

WSIB's policy exempts sole proprietors, partners, independent operators and executive officers from compulsory coverage. The catch: the business must do exclusively exempt home renovation work. The home must be "an existing private residence that is, or will be occupied by, the person who directly retains" them or a family member. That occupant must also pay. Take on a commercial job or subcontract to a general contractor and the exemption is gone. WSIB's FAQ says what qualifying means: "you do not have to be covered by us and are not entitled to any benefits".

So a solo handyman working on your own home may lawfully have no WSIB coverage. If they are hurt there they get no WSIB benefits either, unless they carry WSIB optional insurance. Ask to see a liability insurance certificate instead, and ask what it covers.

The exemption does not travel to subcontractors. WSIB says it "does not apply to subcontractors retained by the contractor to perform construction work... These individuals require WSIB coverage." Bring in a second pair of hands, or sub out part of the job, and that person needs coverage. Ask for a WSIB clearance. It shows a business is registered and up to date. It lasts up to 90 days.