// AUSTRALIAN TRADIE RATES AND BENCHMARKS 2026
How much is a locksmith call-out fee in Australia?
As of August 2026, a locksmith call-out fee in Australia runs $50 to $150 in standard hours, with around $100 typical. After hours that climbs to $150 to $300. A standard home lockout costs $120 to $300 all up, and locksmith hourly rates run $70 to $140.
Last updated: 18 August 2026. Sources: 7 industry datasets.
// THE DATA
Hourly rates in detail
Three sources bracket locksmith labour at $70 to $140 per hour for standard hours. Service.com.au (updated 14 Apr 2026) lists $70 to $120, Hey Jodie (30 Jun 2026) lists $90 to $140 with Sydney, Melbourne and specialist work from $140, and ServiceTasker (Sep 2024, older) lists $80 to $120 for labour-intensive jobs. All three bands overlap between $90 and $120, so this page publishes $100 as the typical rate and labels it a derivation rather than a published average.
Treat hourly rates as background rather than the bill. Most locksmith work is quoted as a call-out fee plus labour, or as a fixed job price, which is why the call-out section below is the number worth memorising.
| Rate | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| National range | $70 to $140 per hour | Service.com.au, 14 Apr 2026; Hey Jodie, 30 Jun 2026 |
| Typical rate | $100 per hour | Centre of the $90 to $120 overlap across all three published bands (derivation) |
Prices are what customers are quoted, including GST where the business is registered.
City pricing is published per job rather than per hour. WhatsTheDamage (verified August 2026) lists starting prices of $140 in Sydney, $130 in Canberra, $125 in Melbourne and Perth, $120 in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, and $110 in Adelaide and Hobart. Those are floors for a standard attended job, not averages.
Quick job cost estimator
$120 to $290 around $200 at the typical rate, including a call-out fee
Slider estimate uses the sourced $70 to $140 hourly range plus a $50 to $150 call-out fee. Real quotes depend on the lock type, parts supplied and time of day; after-hours call-outs run higher.
// CALL-OUT FEES
Call-out fees
$50 to $150 standard call-out fee, typically $100
A locksmith call-out fee is the flat charge for getting a licensed locksmith and a stocked van to your door, and it covers attendance, not the work itself. As of August 2026 the standard-hours range is $50 to $150, with around $100 typical: ServiceTasker lists $50 to $100, Hey Jodie $60 to $120, and Service.com.au puts metro daytime call-outs at $120 to $150. AusCostGuides runs $80 to $180, with its top end absorbing basic job time.
After hours is a different market. Evening and weekend call-outs run $150 to $250 and climb to $250 to $350 after midnight (Service.com.au, updated 14 Apr 2026); Hey Jodie puts emergency call-outs at $160 to $300. For the full bill rather than just the fee, WhatsTheDamage (verified August 2026) prices a standard business-hours lockout at $120 to $300 and an after-hours emergency lockout at $200 to $500 all up.
Advertised call-out fees are also where locksmith pricing gets murky: a very cheap advertised fee only covers attendance, with labour, parts and any after-hours loading billed on top, so a $29 call-out and a $150 call-out can produce the same final invoice. The published benchmarks above are the honest comparison: ask for an all-inclusive quote over the phone, and measure it against the $120 to $300 standard-hours lockout band rather than against the advertised fee.
Worked example: locked out of the house, weekday afternoon
- Call-out fee at the typical $100 (range $50 to $150)
- $100
- Up to 1 hr on site at $100/hr typical
- $100
- Published lockout job benchmark, business hours
- $120 to $300
Illustrative worked example combining the sourced figures above; it is a derivation, not a published statistic.
// THE COST FLOOR
Why rates are what they are: the cost floor
An employed locksmith's award minimum wage is $29.45 per hour (Fair Work, Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award 2020 (MA000010), 2026). The rate a locksmith business charges customers is $70 to $140 per hour. The difference pays for the ute, insurance, tools, super, unbillable hours and the business's risk.
The gap pays for the ute, insurance, tools, super, unbillable hours and the business's risk.
Add the 12% Superannuation Guarantee and that $29.45 award minimum becomes $32.98 an hour before the van, the key machine, lock stock or a single unbillable hour is funded. A locksmith charging $40 an hour would clear about $7 over the bare cost of employing themselves, which is why real charge-out rates start near $70 and why the call-out fee exists at all.
The $32.98 employee-cost figure is a derivation, the award hourly rate multiplied by 1.12 for the Superannuation Guarantee, not a published statistic. Award classification: C10 Engineering/manufacturing tradesperson level I (qualified locksmith).
// FREE TOOL
Work out your own rate
The bands above tell you what the market charges; they do not tell you what your own floor is. Feed your wage target, van and stock costs and billable hours into the calculator and see the charge-out rate your locksmith business actually needs.
Charge-out rate and day rate calculator Opens with the locksmith preset loadedCharging right but still not booked out? Web Blend builds websites and lead systems for locksmiths.
See the Lead System →// COMMON QUESTIONS
Locksmith price questions
Straight answers to the questions people actually search, from the same dataset as the tables above.
Get in touchWhy do locksmiths charge a call-out fee?
The fee pays for attendance: travel time, fuel and a van stocked with locks, cylinders and a key machine, before any work starts. It is how mobile trades cover jobs taking 20 minutes on site but an hour of driving. In Australia it runs $50 to $150 in standard hours.
How much does a locksmith cost to open a locked house door?
A standard business-hours home lockout costs $120 to $300 all up (WhatsTheDamage, August 2026), and ServiceTasker lists $150 to $250. After hours, an emergency lockout runs $200 to $500 including the higher call-out fee.
How much does an emergency locksmith cost after hours?
Expect a call-out fee of $150 to $250 for evenings and weekends, rising to $250 to $350 after midnight (Service.com.au, April 2026). With labour included, an after-hours emergency lockout typically totals $200 to $500. If you can safely wait for business hours, waiting is cheaper.
How much do locksmiths charge per hour?
Published bands run $70 to $140 per hour in standard hours, and all three 2024 to 2026 sources overlap between $90 and $120. Most jobs are quoted as a call-out fee plus labour or as a fixed price, so the hourly rate is rarely the number on the invoice.
How much does it cost to rekey locks?
Rekeying runs $80 to $220 per lock (WhatsTheDamage, August 2026), with ServiceTasker listing $80 to $150 per lock and $250 to $600 to rekey a whole house. Rekeying keeps your existing locks and is usually cheaper than replacing them after moving house or losing keys.
How much does it cost to change the locks on a house?
A basic single lock replacement costs $120 to $350 supplied and fitted (WhatsTheDamage, August 2026). Deadbolt installation runs $150 to $400 and digital or smart locks $200 to $600 per lock. Whole-house lock changes are usually quoted as a fixed job price.
Do locksmiths charge GST on top?
Generally no. Prices quoted to customers are what you pay, including GST where the business is registered, and the figures on this page follow that convention. A written quote should state its GST treatment; ask if it does not.
// METHODOLOGY & SOURCES
Sources and methodology
Ranges on this page combine 7 published Australian datasets and cost guides, cross-checked on 18 August 2026; award wage floors come from official Fair Work pay guides effective 1 July 2026. This page is part of the Australian Tradie Rates and Benchmarks dataset. This dataset is reviewed and republished every July following the Fair Work annual wage review.
- WhatsTheDamage, locksmith cost guide (lockout, rekey, lock change and per-city job prices)
Page date: Last verified August 2026. Accessed 18 August 2026.
- Service.com.au, locksmith cost guide (hourly band, daytime and after-hours call-out fees)
Page date: Published 9 Feb 2026, updated 14 Apr 2026. Accessed 18 August 2026.
- Hey Jodie, locksmith rates and earnings guide (hourly band, call-out and emergency fees)
Page date: Published 30 June 2026. Accessed 18 August 2026.
- ServiceTasker, locksmith cost guide (call-out fee, lockout, rekey and replacement bands; older)
Page date: Published 23 Sep 2024. Accessed 18 August 2026.
- AusCostGuides, locksmith cost in Australia (call-out band, lockout and rekey job tiers)
Page date: Last updated 10 June 2026. Accessed 18 August 2026.
- Fair Work Ombudsman library, award coverage for locksmiths (MA000010 on industry or occupational basis)
Page date: Undated library article. Accessed 18 August 2026.
- Fair Work pay guide, MA000010 (C10 $1,119.10/wk, $29.45/hr, effective 1 Jul 2026)
Page date: Pay guide published 29 July 2026. Accessed 18 August 2026.
Every figure on this page with its range, unit and source. Free to reuse with attribution and a link.
// KEEP EXPLORING