A plumbing maintenance plan is a monthly or annual fee for scheduled work and member benefits: typically an annual inspection, hot water system check, drain and fixture checks, priority booking and a discount on repairs. For commercial customers, required annual backflow prevention device testing is a natural anchor. Price it from your real cost per visit plus margin, bill it automatically, and keep it to services, not open-ended repair cover.
Key takeaways
- Plans work best when they include work the customer needs anyway: backflow testing, hot water servicing, drain checks.
- Testable backflow prevention devices generally need testing every year by an accredited plumber, which makes commercial plans an easy sell.
- Price from your cost per visit, plus travel, admin and margin. Don't give away an hour you can't afford.
- Sell priority and peace of mind, not "free repairs". Repair cover can be a financial product.
- 300 members at A$25 a month is A$90,000 a year of revenue you can see coming.
In The Subscription Playbook I describe the maintenance agreement as the oldest subscription in the trades. Plumbing is a perfect fit for it. Your customers have systems that wear out, fail at the worst possible time, and need checking whether they think about it or not.
The problem is that most plumbing work is reactive. When it rains, you're flat out. When it doesn't, you're looking for work. A maintenance plan smooths that out: some of your week is booked, paid for and predictable.
Why plans work for plumbers
- Scheduled work fills quiet weeks. You choose when inspections happen. Put them in the slow months.
- Members call you first. When the hot water dies, a member doesn't search Google. They call the number on the sticker on their system.
- Inspections find work. A worn tempering valve or a corroded anode spotted in March is a quoted job, not an emergency in July.
- Revenue arrives automatically. Plan fees by direct debit or card cover wages and van costs before the month starts.
What to include
Build the plan around what customers genuinely need. A good-better-best ladder works well:
| Essential | Plus | Commercial | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual whole-of-home plumbing inspection | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hot water system check (relief valve, anode, connections) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Drain flow check | ✓ (with camera if needed) | ✓ | |
| Priority booking | ✓ | ✓ (same-day where possible) | ✓ |
| Discount on repairs | 10% | 15% | Negotiated |
| Annual backflow device test and report | ✓ | ||
| Thermostatic mixing valve service | ✓ if installed | ✓ | |
| Indicative price | A$25/month | A$39/month | Quoted per site |
These prices are illustrative. Yours should come from your own costs, which we'll get to.
Backflow testing: the commercial anchor
Commercial and many larger residential sites have testable backflow prevention devices. Water authorities generally require these to be tested every year by a plumber with backflow accreditation. Sydney Water, for example, says owners must be told if a device needs to be tested each year, and only accredited plumbers can test medium and high hazard devices. Hunter Water and many councils run similar registration and testing systems.
That's required, recurring work. A commercial plan that includes the annual test, the report to the water authority, and priority service for the site is an easy conversation with a property manager or strata manager.
Hot water: the household anchor
Hot water systems fail. Manufacturers typically recommend regular servicing, including checking the pressure relief valve and, for many storage systems, the anode. An annual check that catches problems early is an easy thing for a household to see value in.
How to price it
Start with your cost to deliver, not what you'd like to charge. For each plan, work out:
- Time on site for the inspection and checks, plus travel.
- Your loaded labour rate: the plumber's wage, super, workers comp, vehicle and tools, per hour.
- Materials included (washers, test kits, consumables).
- Admin: booking, reminders, billing and failed payments.
- The value of the discount: what a 10% repair discount costs you, based on what members actually spend.
- Margin: what's left must justify running the plan.
A worked example
A Sydney plumbing business plans an Essential plan with one 75-minute visit a year.
| Item | Annual cost per member |
|---|---|
| Labour: 1.25 hours on site + 0.5 hours travel at A$95/hour loaded | A$166 |
| Consumables | A$10 |
| Admin, reminders and payment fees | A$18 |
| Cost of 10% repair discount (members average A$400 of repairs a year) | A$40 |
| Total cost to deliver | A$234 |
| Price: A$25/month incl. GST = A$300 a year | |
| GST (one-eleventh) | A$27 |
| Ex-GST revenue | A$273 |
| Margin per member | About A$38–39 (about 14%) |
On those numbers, A$19 a month, a price that often "feels right", wouldn't cover costs. A$25 works, but only just. The plan's real value is in the work it brings in: the repairs members book with you, and the replacement hot water systems you quote first. Many trade businesses accept a thin plan margin for that reason, but you should know the number. Try your own in the maintenance plan calculator.
How to launch
- Start with your best customers. Email or call the 200 households you've done the most work for. They already trust you.
- Offer it on every job. Train your plumbers to mention it when they finish: "Want us to check this every year?"
- Make sign-up take a minute. A link on the invoice, a QR code on the hot water system sticker.
- Schedule visits into quiet months. Autumn and late spring often work for plumbing.
- Bill automatically. Direct debit or card on file, monthly or annually.
- Measure it. Members, churn, visits completed, and the repair revenue members generate.
The rules to get right
A maintenance plan is a subscription, so the same rules apply as for any other subscription sold to Australian households. Here's the short version, as at October 2026. It's general information, not legal advice.
- Consumer guarantees still apply. Your plan can't take away customers' rights under the Australian Consumer Law. Don't describe it as a "warranty" that replaces those rights.
- Be careful about promising to pay for repairs. A plan that sells your plumbing services (inspections, servicing, priority attendance, discounts) is a service contract. A plan that promises to cover the cost of repairs or replacement if something breaks starts to look like an extended warranty, which ASIC says can be a financial product. If you want to include repair cover, get legal advice first.
- Clear terms. State the price, what's included, how often, the term, renewal and how to cancel, before the customer signs up. Unfair terms in standard form contracts can be void, and using them can attract penalties.
- GST. If you're registered, plan fees are generally taxable. On an annual plan paid upfront, the GST is generally reported when you're paid or invoice. See GST on subscriptions.
- Direct debit. If you collect by direct debit, follow the direct debit rules.
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From 1 July 2027, the national subscription-trap rules add disclosure at sign-up, prescribed notices and an easy way to cancel. They apply to plans entered into from that date, and to earlier plans once renewed or varied. Build them in now. See subscription trap laws.
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Licensing. Inspections and any work must be done by appropriately licensed plumbers for your state, and backflow testing by accredited testers. Plans don't change your licensing obligations.
Why your accountant cares: a business worth more
Recurring revenue changes what your business is worth. Two plumbing businesses with the same profit can sell for very different prices if one has hundreds of customers on automatic plans and the other relies on the phone ringing. Buyers pay more for revenue they can see coming, that's billed automatically and that doesn't depend on you.
It also changes the day-to-day. Plan revenue arriving every month covers wages and vehicle costs before the month starts, and scheduled work fills the quiet weeks. See how much is my business worth and how to value a subscription business.
What to do next
Work out your cost per visit, pick one plan, and offer it to your best 100 customers this month. If 30 say yes, you've proved it. Then add it to every invoice.
If you'd like to talk it through, Australian business owners can book a free 30-minute profit review with a BPAG Accountants adviser.
Free Subscription Profit Review
Australian business owners can book a free 30-minute review with a BPAG Accountants adviser. An honest conversation about:
- whether a subscription model could work for your business
- how recurring revenue could cover your fixed costs each month
- how it could lift what your business is worth
No cost, no obligation. General information only until we understand your situation.
Frequently asked questions
What should a plumbing maintenance plan include?
Most plans include an annual plumbing inspection, a hot water system check, drain flow checks, priority booking and a discount on repairs. Commercial plans often include the annual backflow prevention device test and report. Include work customers genuinely need, so the plan feels useful, not optional.
How much should a plumbing maintenance plan cost?
Price from your cost to deliver: time on site and travel at your loaded labour rate, consumables, admin, payment fees and the cost of any repair discount, plus margin. In our worked example, a one-visit household plan needed around A$25 a month including GST just to cover costs with a modest margin.
How often do backflow prevention devices need testing?
Water authorities generally require testable backflow prevention devices to be tested every year by an accredited plumber. Sydney Water, for example, says owners must be told if their device needs testing each year. Check your local water authority's rules.
Can my plan include free repairs?
Be careful. A plan that promises to cover the cost of repairs or replacement can look like an extended warranty, which ASIC says can be a financial product. Plans built on services, priority and discounts avoid that problem. Get legal advice before including repair cover.
Do I charge GST on a plumbing maintenance plan?
If you're registered for GST, plan fees are generally taxable at 10%. On an annual plan paid upfront, the GST is generally reported in the BAS period you receive payment or invoice.
General information only, current as at 29 October 2026. It isn't legal, tax or financial advice and doesn't consider your circumstances. Speak to a qualified adviser before acting.
Talk it through with a BPAG adviser
Free for Australian business owners: a 30-minute Subscription Profit Review on whether a subscription suits your business.
Robert Coorey, MBA
Robert is the author of The Subscription Playbook and Feed a Starving Crowd and a Director at BPAG Accountants in Sydney. More about Robert.
Sources and further reading
- Sydney Water, Backflow prevention for plumbers
- Hunter Water, Backflow device registration and testing
- ASIC, Extended warranties
- ACCC, Warranties
- ACCC, Contracts guidance for business (unfair contract terms)
- Competition and Consumer Amendment (Unfair Trading Practices) Act 2026 (No. 64, 2026)
Sources checked 29 October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.