Pricing Your Limo for Farm-Out Jobs With Counter-Offers

A job pops up on your phone. Airport to downtown, SUV, a fair-looking number. You could accept it in one tap. But is it actually a good price for your car, at that time, ending where it ends?

Owner-operators win or lose money on that question dozens of times a month. Knowing how to price limo farm-out jobs for your own vehicle, and using counter-offers when the number is wrong, is the difference between a busy week and a profitable one.

Start with your own numbers

You can't judge a payout until you know what an hour of your car costs. Add up a typical month:

• Vehicle payment or lease.
• Commercial insurance.
• Licence and permit fees, spread over the year.
• Fuel, cleaning, tyres and servicing.
• Phone, parking and anything else you pay to stay on the road.

Divide by the hours you realistically work in a month and you have a rough cost per working hour. Anything below that number loses money, however busy it keeps you. If you've never done this, the US Small Business Administration's guide to calculating startup costs is a simple way to structure the list, wherever you are.

Judge the whole job, not the headline price

The payout on a job covers your time from the moment you leave to the moment you're free again. Before you accept, estimate:

• Dead time. The drive to the pickup and back from the drop-off.
• Waiting. Airports, hotels and events rarely run to the minute.
• Where you end up. A drop-off near your next booking is worth more than one on the far side of town.
• The vehicle. A Sprinter or stretch costs more to run than a sedan, and the price should show it.

Then check the job's waiting terms. A job or an offer can say how much waiting is included and what each extra hour costs. A slightly lower price with generous waiting can be better than a higher price with none, especially at an airport.

Three ways jobs are priced

Posters on LimoFarmOut choose one of three pricing styles, and each calls for a slightly different approach from you.

Fixed price. The poster sets the payout. You accept it as it is, or send a counter-offer with your own price.

Rising price. The payout starts lower and rises over time up to a maximum the poster sets. You don't see the maximum. If the current number is close to yours and the job is a good fit, waiting can pay; but another driver may take it first.

Taking offers. The poster asks drivers to send their price. Each offer shows your rating, paid trips, approved vehicle photos and the waiting terms you offer. The poster picks one and pays before you drive.

How counter-offers work

When a fixed-price job is too low for your vehicle, don't just scroll past. Send a counter-offer with the price that works for you. If the poster agrees, they pay the difference before you drive, so the job is fully funded at your price before you leave home. The app shows any amount charged or refunded because of the change.

A good counter-offer is:

• Specific to the job. A realistic number for this route and this vehicle, not a round figure that doubles the price.
• Quick. Posters are often filling a trip at short notice. A fast, reasonable counter beats a perfect one sent too late.
• Consistent. Operators who farm out regularly notice which drivers counter sensibly and which ones always push. Sensible counters get accepted, and remembered.

Hourly jobs and overtime

Hourly, or as-directed, jobs have minimums: 3 hours for sedans and SUVs and 5 hours for other vehicles. The job shows the booked hours. If the client keeps you longer, enter the extra hours when you close the trip. Overtime is charged at the agreed extra-hour rate, or the job's own hourly rate when none was set. The poster approves it before it's paid.

That's why the extra-hour rate on an offer matters as much as the headline price. Set it at a level that's fair for your vehicle, so a long day pays properly.

Extras are not part of the price

Parking, tolls, extra stops and any waiting past the included time go on the trip when you close it, and reach you through the platform once approved. Don't try to build them into your counter-offer as a guess. Price the job itself, then charge the extras that actually happened. The live post on waiting time, tolls and extras goes through it in detail.

What you keep

Drivers pay no fee on jobs. The platform fee, currently a 10% launch rate until 31 December 2027 and 20% after that, is paid by the poster on top of the payout. So the number you agree is the number that reaches your bank, apart from the optional flat $2 if you choose instant cash-out. Payouts are released within 48 hours of drop-off. The details are in prepaid farm-out explained.

When you're the one farming out

If you also post your own overflow trips, the same thinking applies in reverse. Price your trips so a good driver wants them, set clear waiting terms, and use offers when you're not sure what the market will bear. Using "I drive and farm out" covers both sides.

Need a car for a client outside your area?

When the right price for your client is a local car somewhere else, you can book one here.

Chauffeur booker

Book a chauffeur in any city

Airport transfers, hourly cars and point-to-point trips with LimousineWorldwide.Directory member operators. Choose the vehicle, see the price and book in a few steps.

Further reading

If you're registered as self-employed in the US, the IRS self-employed individuals tax center explains which costs you can track as business expenses. Monthly statements under Earnings make that easier. On LimoFarmOut, the chauffeur jobs page summarises how pay works, and the job board shows live prices in your city.

Frequently asked questions

What is a counter-offer on a farm-out job?

It's your own price for a fixed-price job. If the poster accepts it, they pay the difference before you drive, so the job is fully funded at your price.

Can I see the maximum on a rising-price job?

No. Drivers never see the poster's maximum. The payout rises over time until a driver accepts.

How should I price hourly jobs?

Use your cost per hour and the vehicle's running costs. Hourly minimums are 3 hours for sedans and SUVs and 5 hours for other vehicles, and overtime is paid at the agreed extra-hour rate.

Should I include parking and tolls in my price?

No. Add them when you close the trip. The poster approves them and they are paid through the platform with your payout.

Do I pay any fee on the price I agree?

No. Drivers pay no fee on jobs. The platform fee is paid by the poster on top of your payout.

Know your numbers, then let the board bring you jobs that meet them. Sign up free as a chauffeur and start sending counter-offers that work.