Guides / Events
How much should a planner mark up rentals?
The markup pays for the hours you spend sourcing, changing and counting chairs. If it does not cover them, you are doing it for free.
Skip the reading. The tool does this maths for you, free, as you type.
Price a rental orderRentals are a pass-through with a job attached: quotes, changes, the delivery window, the count at midnight. A planner's markup is the fee for that job. It has to cover your hours on the order or the couple is getting a free coordinator.
The formula
Client price = vendor total × (1 + markup) + delivery + damage waiver. Your margin = vendor total × markup. Net = margin − your hours × your rate. Pass delivery and the waiver through at cost.
What a good number looks like
Normal for a planner who sources and manages the order.
Only if the order is large and simple. Check the net after your hours.
The markup does not cover your time. Raise it or charge a coordination fee instead.
What to do about it
- Mark up the items, not the delivery or the damage waiver. Clients check those.
- Log your hours on one order honestly. Most planners are surprised.
- If the markup feels high, charge a flat coordination fee and pass the rentals through at cost.
Now do it with your numbers.
Free, no account, saved on your device. The verdict comes back while you type.
Price a rental order