How Much Does Cell Phone Repair Pay?

Wondering how much money cell phone repair technicians make or how much income you can earn if you start your own phone repair business? Here’s the lowdown on how much cell phone repair pays.

Cell phone repair income compared

Cell phone repair technician (repair shops and retail stores)

The average salary for cell phone repair technicians is $30,993, or $11.80 per hour. Add in bonuses and commission, and the pay range is between $19,000 and $38,000.

You can expect to make more in some locations. For example, the average cell phone repair tech salary in San Francisco is $37,245, which is 24% above the national average. Apple repair technicians, known as Apple Geniuses, are also paid more: an average of $47,721 ($20.24 per hour).  

Mobile cell phone repair contractor

Companies like Puls work with independent contractors to provide mobile phone repair. Puls technicians make around $40 for each half-hour repair, and top techs average $875 per week in some locations. In others, it’s closer to $300 to $500 per week. That makes the range between $15,600 and $45,500 for full-time contractors.

How much you can earn depends on your market and availability. As an independent contractor, you set your own hours so you can repair phones as a side gig or full-time career.

Independent phone repair business

It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly how much you can make as an independent phone repair business. Some owners are sole entrepreneurs and only work part-time. Others have brick-and-mortar shops and several employees. In addition, profitability depends on market demand plus your ability to successfully manage costs and promote your business, among other factors.

If you earn an average of $80 per repair and complete five repairs per week, you’ll earn around $400 weekly (less overhead), which amounts to around $21,000. Increase that to ten repairs and you’ll earn $800 per week. At 20 repairs, you’ll earn around $1,600 – which comes to $83,000. If you hire employees, you could scale your business exponentially. iCracked found A.J. Forsythe made millions from his cell phone repair business before selling to SquareTrade.

Phone repair franchise

Phone repair franchises offer proven business models, training and marketing support. Startup costs are hefty, but it’s a viable option if you’re in a strong market.

Examples include uBreakiFix, which requires a startup investment between $55,000 and $236,000, CPR Cell Phone Repair ($56,000 to $171,000) and Dr. Phone Fix ($102,000 to $215,000).

Like independent businesses, profitability depends on many factors and is not guaranteed. Dr. Phone Fix publishes example sales figures and costs to lend an idea of what’s possible. When you account for overhead, the stores listed ultimately profit around $80,000 to $190,000 annually.

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