Community Support Pricing
Self-selected fair pricing
Community Support Pricing
Skilled help should not be available only to people with a large disposable-income cushion. Dom The Handyman keeps a reduced Community Support Rate available for customers who need it, while asking customers who can comfortably pay the standard rate, or a little more, to help keep that access sustainable.
Why this exists
Access without an application, proof-of-hardship test or judgment.
Dom The Handyman is a Black-owned business built with an intentional commitment to serving the community around it. Housing repairs, safe installations, moving help and basic home maintenance are often necessities, but the people who most need that work are not always the people with the most financial flexibility.
This system is inspired in part by community businesses such as Rolling Grocer's Fair Pricing System, which asks customers to consider their circumstances and self-select the tier that fits. Dom's version applies that basic idea to skilled home and property services: you choose the rate that fits your present financial reality. No documentation is required.
Choose your level
Which rate should I pay?
These are guidelines, not an income test.
$200 / $360
Up to 4 hours / up to 8 hours
Community Support
Choose this when paying the standard rate would create a meaningful financial barrier, force you to delay necessary work, or pull money away from basic needs.
$350 / $600
Up to 5 hours / up to 10 hours
Standard Rate
Choose this when your basic needs are covered and the normal price fits your budget without creating substantial financial stress.
+10 to 25%
Optional above the standard rate
Pay It Forward
If you have strong financial stability and want to help keep reduced-rate appointments available, you can voluntarily add 10 to 25% or simply round your invoice up.
Guidelines
Which one fits you?
- Community Support may fit you if you are living paycheck to paycheck or rebuilding savings.
- Housing, food, childcare, medical costs, debt or family obligations consume most of your available income.
- The standard price would cause you to postpone work you reasonably need.
- Your financial circumstances recently changed because of unemployment, reduced hours, caregiving, an emergency or another major expense.
- Standard or Pay-It-Forward may fit you if your basic monthly needs are comfortably covered.
- You have meaningful savings or financial reserves.
- You can regularly spend on non-essential purchases without sacrificing necessities.
- Paying the standard rate does not create significant stress for your household.
- You want part of what you spend to help preserve lower-cost appointments for neighbors with less flexibility.
Local context
Why there is no single income cutoff.
Household size changes what the same income actually means. MIT's 2026 Living Wage Calculator estimates that in Rensselaer County a single adult with no children needs about $24.16 per hour before taxes to cover basic needs, while the estimate rises substantially for households with children. That is why this system asks you to consider the whole household rather than checking one arbitrary salary number.
Questions
Before you book.
Do I have to prove my income?
No. The Community Support Rate is self-selected. No pay stubs, tax returns or explanation of personal circumstances are required.
Does choosing the reduced rate change the quality of the work?
No. Scope, workmanship and communication expectations are the same. The difference is the rate you selected.
What if I can pay somewhere between Community Support and Standard?
Say so when you start your project. A middle amount can be agreed to when that makes more sense than either published tier.
What discounts are available?
Veterans receive 10% off labor. Cash or cryptocurrency payments receive 5% off labor. Discounts do not stack; the best applicable discount is used. The Community Support Rate is already a reduced rate and is not combined with another discount.
What does paying more actually do?
Standard and Pay-It-Forward customers improve the business's ability to reserve some working time for lower-cost community jobs while still covering tools, vehicle costs, insurance, administration and the labor required to keep the business operating.
Start Your Project
Choose the rate that fits. Be generous when you can.
Standard appointments run 8 AM to 5 PM. Same-day work may be available when the schedule allows and carries the standard $100 rush fee. Work before 8 AM or after 5 PM is after-hours service at 1.5x the applicable hourly rate with a two-hour minimum.
You do not need to justify your circumstances. If you are unsure which rate makes sense, say so when you start your project.