Pool Service profit margin benchmarks
The IRS reports what one-owner businesses filing Schedule C earn, by sector. Pool Service falls under Administrative and support services. For tax year 2023, 3,118,914 returns reported $114.4 billion in receipts, $17.9 billion in cost of sales and $24.2 billion in net income less deficit (the table gives thousands of dollars):
| Benchmark | Value |
|---|---|
| Gross margin | 84.3% |
| Net margin, owner pay included | 21.2% |
| Average receipts per return | $36,687 |
| Average net income per return | $7,769 |
The owner's own draw is not an expense on a Schedule C, so that net margin is mostly the owner's wage, not profit on top of it.
Where the money goes in pool service
Weekly pool service is labor, chemicals and drive time. Chemicals included in a flat rate are where the margin goes in a hot summer.
Where pool service margin leaks, and how to win it back
- Chemicals included with no limit
- Green pool recoveries priced like a normal visit
- Routes with long drives
- Repairs done without approval
- Price never raised for heavy-use pools
Ways pool service companies raise margin: cap the chemicals included in the monthly rate; price green pool recoveries as their own job; keep routes tight; sell repairs and upgrades from the weekly visit.
Check your pool service prices against the costs
The typical national prices from our sourced calculators are a check on whether your prices leave room for margin:
| Service | Typical | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly full service | Not given | $20 to $50 a week |
| Monthly service | Not given | $30 to $90 a month |
| Pool opening | $300 | $250 to $350 a job |
| Pool closing | $250 | $200 to $300 a job |
Work out the margin on each line of your menu, not just the big jobs. The usual pool service menu: weekly full service; monthly service; chemical-only service; pool opening; pool closing; green pool recovery; filter clean; pump or motor replacement; heater diagnosis; automation and salt system install.
Overhead comes out of the margin before profit. In pool service it includes general liability insurance, which Insureon's customers who are pool cleaners pay an average of $95 a month for; commercial auto at $250 a month on the same figures.
Work out your own margin
Put one recent pool service job into the calculator above, or switch it to "My margin for the year" to set your year next to the IRS benchmark. A 50% markup is a 33% margin; the markup calculator shows the rest.
Sources
- IRS Statistics of Income: Nonfarm sole proprietorships, Table 2, income statements by industrial sector, tax year 2023, checked October 9, 2026
- IRS: SOI tax stats, nonfarm sole proprietorship statistics, checked October 9, 2026
- Insureon: Insurance cost for pool cleaners, checked October 9, 2026
Last checked October 9, 2026. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and differ by state and city, so confirm with the agency named before you act.