Mr. Handyman franchise unit economics
Mr. Handyman franchisees run two vans and a team of technicians into a territory of 40,000 to 60,000 target households, selling home repair and maintenance by the job. The average job is $742, and a franchisee with one unit runs about 1,043 of them a year, twenty a week. Set against that, the brand and its marketing requirements take 17.4% of gross sales. A 7% license fee, a 2% national marketing fee and a local marketing spend of 8%.
- Primary source
- Mr. Handyman, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document
- Items read
- Item 7 for cost to open; Item 19 for sales and any profit figure; Item 20 for the location count
- Population
- 165 of 357 locations
- Our calculations
- Marked on the page with an asterisk. Method
- Last reviewed
- 26 September 2026
Disclosure-based. Not a forecast, not an offer to sell a franchise, and not advice.
The average job sells for $742. The brand and its marketing requirements take 17.4% of gross sales, a 7% license fee, a 2% national marketing fee and a local marketing spend of 8%. That is $126 out of every job, before a technician is paid.
- Brand and marketing charges take 17.4% of gross sales. $133,871 a year at the single-unit average of $773,574 *, or $126 of every $742 job.
- Material and subcontractor revenue have a 3.5% license fee against 7%. Half the rate on that slice of a job, with the 2% marketing fee applying to both alike.
- Sales per unit falls 42.8% as a franchisee adds units. $773,574 at one unit, $528,559 at two, $451,778 at three, $448,676 at four and $442,478 at five to six *.
- The highest-selling franchisees in the system owns a single unit. $5,362,756 from one business, above the highest figure in every multi-unit group.
- Required local marketing is $60,000 in year one and $75,000 in year two. Against the lowest-selling single-unit franchisee's $208,200, that is 28.8% and 36.0% of a year's sales *.
How much does a Mr. Handyman franchise make?
The average Mr. Handyman unit reported $773,574 of revenue in the 2026 FDD, and the median reported $580,422. The brand’s disclosure document discloses revenue and not profit, so what an owner keeps depends on the cost structure set out below. Fees come off the top first, at about 17% of sales across royalty, brand fund and the rest of the stack. Revenue is not income. Rent, wages, cost of goods and the franchise fees all come out before an owner is paid. The figures for the highest-selling and lowest-selling businesses are below.
Units and revenue
Each unit added earns less than the last.
| Units owned | Franchisees | Businesses | Average per franchisee | Median | Lowest | Highest | Reaching the average | Average per unit * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One | 57 | 57 | $773,574 | $580,422 | $208,200 | $5,362,756 | 30% | $773,574 |
| Two | 67 | 134 | $1,057,118 | $972,424 | $144,589 | $4,097,674 | 36% | $528,559 |
| Three | 22 | 66 | $1,355,334 | $1,240,458 | $602,032 | $2,713,200 | 41% | $451,778 |
| Four | 12 | 48 | $1,794,704 | $1,593,538 | $744,918 | $4,631,236 | 42% | $448,676 |
| Five to six | 7 | 36 | $2,275,602 | $1,956,297 | $1,111,618 | $4,415,858 | 29% | $442,478 |
| All | 165 | 341 | $1,104,264 * | n/a | $144,589 | $5,362,756 | n/a | $534,322 * |
Franchisee counts, business counts, averages, medians, ranges and attainment are as the brand reported it; the per-unit column and the two all-franchisee figures are marked *.
A single unit averages $773,574; an unit inside a five-or-six-unit group averages $442,478. A 42.8% decline *, and it falls at every step between. Whatever a second, third or fourth unit adds in total sales, it arrives with a smaller book than the one before it.
The highest-selling franchisees in the entire system owns one unit. $5,362,756, above the highest figure in every multi-unit group including the $4,631,236 at four units. So the ceiling here belongs to a single territory worked hard.
Attainment peaks in the middle of the ladder. 30%, 36%, 41%, 42%, 29%. The single-unit group is stretched by that $5,362,756 against a $208,200 low, a 26-fold range, so its published average sits $193,152 above its own median.
The lowest-selling figure in the system belongs to a two-unit franchisee. $144,589 across both businesses, below the $208,200 that the lowest single-business owner sold. A second territory leaves a bad year just as bad, and in this system it can make one harder to recover from.
A hundred and eight of the 165 franchisees hold more than one unit. 341 businesses across 165 owners, 2.07 each *. So the multi-unit pattern is the norm here, which makes the per-unit decline the central fact of the system.
The job
Seven hundred and forty-two dollars, a thousand times.
| Measure | Value | Jobs a year at that level * | Jobs a week * |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highest gross sales per job | $2,054 | n/a | n/a |
| Average gross sales per job | $742 | n/a | n/a |
| Median gross sales per job | $721 | n/a | n/a |
| Lowest gross sales per job | $297 | n/a | n/a |
| Single-unit franchisee, average sales | $773,574 | 1,043 | 20.1 |
| Single-unit franchisee, median sales | $580,422 | 782 | 15.0 |
| Per unit, system-wide | $534,322 | 720 | 13.8 |
| Per unit, five-to-six-unit group | $442,478 | 596 | 11.5 |
| Lowest-selling single-unit franchisee | $208,200 | 281 | 5.4 |
The four gross-sales-per-job figures are as the brand reported it across all 165 reporting franchisees, with 83 of them, 50.3%, reaching or beating the $742 average. The job counts are marked *, dividing each sales level by the $742 system average. Treats every business as charging the system rate.
The average job is $742 and the median is $721. A 2.9% gap, which means pricing across this system is remarkably tight. The published range runs from $297 to $2,054, seven times, so the outliers are in the work being sold.
A single-unit franchisee at the average runs 20 jobs a week. 1,043 a year *. At the median it is 15 a week, and an unit inside a large group runs 11.5. That is the operating difference between the groups: three or four technicians against one or two.
Exactly half the system reaches the average job value. 83 of 165, or 50.3%. A balanced distribution, which is what makes the $742 figure genuinely usable as a benchmark.
One more job a week is worth $38,584 a year. *, at the average job value. Against the lowest-selling single-unit franchisee's $208,200, five more jobs a week would nearly double the business. The two vans required at opening are capable of far more than the 5.4 a week it currently runs.
The brand's own charges take $126 out of each $742 job. *, at 17.4% of gross sales. Read that way, every fifth job in the week pays the license fee, the national marketing fee and the local marketing requirement. The other four pay for the work.
Top performers
What separates the top Mr. Handyman performers
Mr. Handyman splits its locations into groups instead of publishing one average. The best group averaged $5,362,756 a year. The worst averaged $208,200. Both run the same brand, on the same agreement, paying the same fees. The middle location sold $580,422. The average was $773,574. More than half the system is below the number the brand quotes.
Decided before you open
- Trade area and site.A 25.8× gap between bands, and 6.9× between the strongest and weakest single location, is not an operating gap. Catchment, daytime population and what sits next door set the ceiling before the first customer arrives.
- Territory, and how much of it is real.This model sells from a territory rather than a building. Two owners with the same brand and different ground are running different businesses, and density decides how much driving sits between jobs.
- What you spend to open.Opening costs $161,900 to $215,000, a 1.3× range inside one brand. The high end usually buys more capacity, so the cheapest build is not always the cheapest route to the top band.
Live operating levers
- Jobs, the operating driver.This model bills on jobs. Every job is won again, so the owner works on how many quotes turn into work and what the average job is worth when it does. It is worth watching every week, because by the time it turns up in a monthly close the quarter is half gone.
- Fees, and where the minimum bites.Fees run about 17.0% of sales. A minimum sits underneath the percentage, so the low-volume location pays the higher effective rate. The brand charges the weakest locations the most. Work out the sales level where the percentage overtakes the minimum and know which side of it you are on, because the answer changes what an extra dollar of sales is worth.
Context you underwrite around
- The reporting screen.165 of 357 locations are behind these figures. Locations open less than the full year, brand-owned, or not meeting the reporting criteria are excluded, so the numbers describe locations that cleared that screen, not the system as a whole.
- What the disclosure leaves out.Item 19 publishes no profit or cost data for franchised locations. Anything below the sales line has to come from the franchisor or from owners you call.
Fees and what it costs to open
Seventeen percent before the van moves.
| Level | Gross sales | License fee at 7% | Marketing fee at 2% | Local marketing at 8% | Software | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest-selling single-unit franchisee | $5,362,756 | $375,393 | $107,255 | $429,020 | $2,363 | $914,031 | 17.0% |
| Single-unit average | $773,574 | $54,150 | $15,471 | $61,886 | $2,363 | $133,870 | 17.3% |
| Single-unit median | $580,422 | $40,630 | $11,608 | $46,434 | $2,363 | $101,035 | 17.4% |
| Per unit, system-wide | $534,322 | $37,403 | $10,686 | $42,746 | $2,363 | $93,198 | 17.4% |
| Per unit, five-to-six-unit group | $442,478 | $30,973 | $8,850 | $35,398 | $2,363 | $77,584 | 17.5% |
| Lowest-selling single-unit franchisee | $208,200 | $14,574 | $4,164 | $16,656 | $2,363 | $37,757 | 18.1% |
Ours, applying the published rates to filed sales.
Seven, two and eight percent add to 17% before a single technician is paid. $93,198 a year on an unit at the system average *. This is among the heaviest published brand-and-marketing loads in the library, and the marketing portion is the larger half of it.
Sales of materials and subcontracted work pay 3.5%. Everything else pays 7%. Half the license rate. On a job where parts are $300 of a $742 invoice, the split saves $10.50 *. How a job is invoiced changes the fee, so the two kinds of sales have to be reported separately.
Required local marketing is $60,000 and then $75,000 before the percentage rule starts. Against the lowest-selling single-unit franchisee's $208,200 of annual sales, those figures are 28.8% and 36.0% *. A business that builds up slowly still pays the marketing charge set for one that builds up quickly.
The 8% rule is charged on last year's sales. So a business that falls back spends 8% of a bigger year, and one that grows spends 8% of a smaller one. At the single-unit average that is $61,886 committed a year in advance *, regardless of what the year in front actually does.
Fees are drawn by automatic debit every Thursday. On the previous week's reported sales. With a job averaging $742, the license and marketing fees leave the account within days of the invoice, so the cash cycle here is weekly.
What it costs to open a territory.
| Item | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $67,000 | $67,000 |
| Additional funds, three months | $60,000 | $90,000 |
| Vehicle expenses, three months | $7,500 | $15,000 |
| Initial opening equipment, uniforms and marketing materials | $6,000 | $10,000 |
| Initial package fee | $5,500 | $5,500 |
| Prepaid insurance premiums, three months | $4,500 | $6,500 |
| Computer hardware package | $3,500 | $6,000 |
| Training expenses | $3,000 | $4,000 |
| Professional fees | $1,800 | $5,000 |
| Tools and equipment for two vans | $1,000 | $2,000 |
| Furniture, fixtures and office equipment | $1,000 | $1,500 |
| Real estate and utility deposit, three months | $1,000 | $1,500 |
| Permits and licenses | $100 | $1,000 |
| Total | $161,900 | $215,000 |
As the brand reported it, reordered here by size.
Cash to run the business day to day of $60,000 to $90,000 covers three months. Nearly matching the franchise fee. It needs to: the first-year local marketing requirement alone is $60,000. A business starting from zero jobs a week has both vans, both technicians and the weekly fee draw running before the revenue arrives.
The vans are leased in this estimate. $7,500 to $15,000 covers three months of payments; buying and outfitting one costs $50,000 to $60,000 plus tax. A franchisee choosing to own its fleet is looking at $100,000 to $120,000 outside the published range.
Ground costs 70 cents a target household above 60,000. So a 100,000-household territory costs $95,000 against $67,000 for a 60,000-household one *. At the system's 720 jobs a year per unit against a 50,000-household midpoint, that is 14.4 jobs per thousand households. The extra ground is inexpensive and largely unworked.
The network of locations
Three hundred and fifty-seven businesses.
| Year | Start | Opened | Terminations | Non-renewals | Ceased, other | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 308 | 26 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 326 |
| 2024 | 326 | 27 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 347 |
| 2025 | 347 | 22 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 357 |
| Three years | 308 | 75 | 20 | 0 | 6 | 357 |
As the brand reported it; the three-year row is marked *.
Terminations more than doubled in 2025. Eleven against five the year before and four the year before that, while openings eased from 27 to 22. The system still grew by ten, but the ratio of openings to exits moved from 26 against 8 in 2023 to 22 against 12 in 2025.
Seventy-five businesses opened across three years against 26 exits. A net 49 added, taking the system from 308 to 357, 15.9% growth. Every outlet in the system is franchised, with zero company-owned throughout the period.
Nine franchise agreements are signed with the outlet still to open. Alongside 21 projected openings across 18 states. Texas leads the current footprint at 36 businesses, followed by Virginia at 16 and Tennessee at 12.
Questions we get asked
Questions owners ask.
What should a Mr. Handyman business be billing?
These are franchisee totals. Fifty-seven franchisees owning a single unit averaged $773,574 with a median of $580,422, a low of $208,200 and a high of $5,362,756; 30% reached the average. Sixty-seven owning two units averaged $1,057,118 across both, 22 owning three averaged $1,355,334, 12 owning four averaged $1,794,704 and seven owning five or six averaged $2,275,602. Dividing each group’s total by its business count gives $773,574, $528,559, $451,778, $448,676 and $442,478 an unit. That is marked *, and $534,322 an unit across all 341 businesses. There were 357 businesses in the United States at 31 December 2025, all franchised.
Is a second unit worth taking?
The published figures counsel care. Sales per unit falls at every step of the ladder, from $773,574 at one unit to $442,478 at five or six, a 42.8% decline, which is marked *. Total sales does climb, from $773,574 to $2,275,602, so the overall business grows; what falls is the output of each piece. The system's single highest-selling franchisee owns one unit and billed $5,362,756, above the highest figure in any multi-unit group. The lowest-selling figure in the whole system belongs to a two-unit franchisee at $144,589. Ninety-four of the 165 reporting franchisees hold more than one unit, so the pattern describes most of the system.
What is a job worth?
Gross sales per job averaged $742 across the 165 reporting franchisees with a median of $721, a high of $2,054 and a low of $297. 83 franchisees, 50.3%, reached or beat the average. At that rate a single-unit franchisee at the group average runs about 1,043 jobs a year, or 20 a week. At the group median it is 782 jobs, or 15 a week. And an unit inside a five-or-six-unit group runs 596, or 11.5 a week. All of those job counts are marked *. One additional job a week is worth $38,584 a year at the average job value.
What does the brand take?
A licence fee of 7% of sales, falling to 3.5% on materials and subcontracted work. Weekly minimums rise from nothing to $350 as the business matures. A marketing and advertising fee of 2% applies to all revenue, with minimums of $50 and then $75 a week. A local marketing spend of $60,000 is required in the first year and $75,000 in the second. Then 8% of the prior calendar year's gross sales annually. A local marketing group contribution of up to 3% may be required on top. Software costs $196.95 a month plus $151 to $241 a month for each service professional on the field platform. Servicing a customer in another franchisee's territory without consent costs 50% of the cumulative revenue from that customer on a first intentional breach and 100% thereafter. Together the percentage charges come to 17.4% of gross sales, which is marked *.
Who does bookkeeping for a Mr. Handyman franchise?
Three mechanics shape the close. Split sales three ways on the invoice: standard work, materials and subcontracted work. The licence fee is 7% on the first and 3.5% on the other two while the marketing fee is 2% on all of them. Getting that split wrong is a fee error in both directions and it has to happen at the point of invoicing. Second, fees are drawn by automatic debit every Thursday on the previous week's reported sales. So the fee liability is a weekly cash event tied to reported revenue. The fee is taken based on what is reported by the deadline. Third, the 8% local marketing requirement is set on the prior calendar year's gross sales and is collectible if unspent. Makes it a committed annual budget known in advance. One that has to be evidenced, since contributions to a local marketing group count toward it while other spending may fall outside. Underneath all of it, a $742 job run 720 times a year means the technician schedule is the revenue forecast. Averan provides bookkeeping, controller, and fractional CFO support for franchise owners and has Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors on the team.
- No profit figure. The filing reports sales and not earnings, so what an owner keeps is not disclosed.
- No cost lines. Wages, rent and cost of goods are not broken out, so margin cannot be rebuilt from the document.
Questions worth putting to Mr. Handyman
The filing answers what it answers. These are the gaps an owner or a buyer should close directly.
- What do locations at the median spend on wages and rent as a share of sales? The filing reports sales only.
- What separates the highest-selling locations from the lowest: trade area, years open, size, or the owner?
- How long does a new location take to reach the average you publish, and what does the build-up look like month by month?
- At what level of sales do the minimum charges stop applying and the percentage take over?
- How many Mr. Handyman locations closed, were sold, or changed hands last year, and why?
Run your own numbers.
The Franchise Finance Diagnostic runs the same checks on your own numbers. It scores where you stand and compares you with Item 19 of your brand’s FDD. It works out what one location earns and spends, and builds a 13-week cash forecast. Checks whether you are ready to open another one. It is free and it runs in your browser.
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