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Managed IT vs break-fix IT support

Paying by the hour means you pay most when things go wrong.

Break-fix IT support bills by the hour when you call. Perth providers publish rates of about $136 to $186 an hour ex GST. Set your own hours below and compare a year against a fixed plan.

Open the calculator See plans and pricing

By the CCP team · Updated

A laptop with its base panel removed on an office desk, beside a small screwdriver, an open tool case and an anti-static strap.

At a glance

Typical rate
$180 an hour ex GST (median)
Minimum
Often 1 hour for a site visit
After hours
1.5 to 2 times, where charged
Based on
13 published rate cards, Sept 2026

How break-fix IT support is billed

What an hourly rate card usually says.

We read the published rate cards and terms of 13 Australian IT providers in September 2026, six of them in Perth. These are the patterns.

  • 01

    Rates

    Onsite rates ran from $89 to $220 an hour ex GST, with a median of $180. The Perth cards were $136 to $186.

  • 02

    Minimums

    A site visit usually has a 1-hour minimum, and some charge 1.5 or 2 hours. After that, time is billed in 15 or 30-minute steps.

  • 03

    After hours

    Where there is a premium it is 1.5 to 2 times the rate, often with a 2-hour minimum. Some small operators charge one rate at all times.

  • 04

    Block hours

    Prepaid blocks save about 10% to 21%. Some expire after 12 months and are not refunded.

  • 05

    Travel

    Usually free in the metro area. Some charge a call-out fee, or travel time and kilometres.

  • 06

    Tools and licences

    Sold separately. One Perth provider lists endpoint protection at $29.95 a computer a month. Hours pay for labour only.

Break-fix vs managed IT cost calculator

Set your hours. See a year of each.

Start with the hours on your last few invoices. The rate starts at the median of the published cards; change it to match your provider.

Security and backup tools

A year, ex GST

  • Hourly IT support$33,360
    Labour $17,280 · After hours $1,080 · Tools $15,000
  • CCP Managed IT$55,500
    $185 a seat a month. Support, onsite visits and the tools are in the rate.

Hourly support costs $22,140 less a year at these settings. The difference is what hourly support does not cover. The plan costs the same as about 18 hours a month at $180 an hour, after the tools.

After-hours call-outs are priced at 1.5 times the rate with a 2-hour minimum. Microsoft 365 licences are extra either way.

What break-fix IT support doesn’t cover

The hours pay for fixes. These are extra, or nobody does them.

  • 01

    Watching between calls

    Nobody monitors your devices or your accounts until you ring. Problems wait until someone notices them.

  • 02

    Patching on a schedule

    Updates happen when someone is paid to do them. Essential Eight Maturity Level 1 sets deadlines of two weeks to one month.

  • 03

    A security operations centre

    Endpoint detection with a team that watches alerts 24 hours a day is a separate product, if the provider sells one.

  • 04

    Tested backups

    A backup that nobody has restored is a guess. Testing it takes hours, and hours are billed.

  • 05

    Cover when the technician is away

    Small providers rely on one or two people. None of the terms we read said who covers their leave.

  • 06

    An incentive to prevent problems

    Hourly billing pays the provider when something breaks. A fixed fee pays us when nothing does.

Questions to ask an IT support provider

Ask your IT provider these 19 questions.

Hourly or fixed fee, the same questions show what you get. Download them blank, or with our answers filled in.

Free, with no email needed. See all 19 questions

When hourly IT support is the better choice

Where hourly support fits, and where it doesn’t.

  • Hourly support makes sense when

    • You have fewer than 10 staff and simple cloud systems.
    • Nobody, such as an insurer or client, asks about your security.
    • You already have MFA on every account and backups you have tested.
    • You need a technician a few hours a year.

  • A fixed plan makes sense when

    • You have 10 or more staff. Our plans have a 10-seat minimum.
    • Your IT bills change a lot from month to month.
    • An insurer’s form asks about endpoint detection, patching and backups.
    • You want someone watching your systems between calls.

Break-fix vs managed IT questions

Straight answers.

Something not covered? Call (08) 9467 2269 and ask an engineer.
What is break-fix IT support?
Break-fix means you call a technician when something breaks and pay for the time. There is no monthly fee, and nobody looks after your systems between calls.
How much do IT providers charge an hour in Perth?
The Perth rate cards we read in September 2026 charged $136 to $186 an hour ex GST for business support. Across Australia the median was $180. Most charge a 1-hour minimum for a site visit.
Is hourly IT support cheaper than managed IT?
For a small, simple setup with few problems, it can be. Use the calculator: it shows the number of hours a month at which a plan costs the same. The difference is what hourly support leaves out, such as monitoring, patching and a security operations centre.
Do you charge for after-hours calls?
Emergencies after hours are part of every plan. In our latest incident response reports, every after-hours call was answered or returned within 30 minutes. Work after hours that is not an emergency is billed.
Do you offer hourly support?
Not on its own. Our plans are a fixed fee per seat with a 10-seat minimum. Work outside a plan, such as projects, is quoted separately.
How long is the agreement?
Our standard agreement is a three-year term, with no onboarding fees. We spend the first three months onboarding you. Full alignment with every security recommendation usually takes the whole term, because the work is incremental. A month-to-month arrangement is available on request, at a higher rate. If you leave, we hand over full documentation and credentials. Some clients have stayed 20+ years.

Bring your last few IT invoices.

Book a free IT review with a Perth engineer. We compare what you pay now with a fixed plan, and you keep the written summary either way.

Or call (08) 9467 2269

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