The most recent “Who Pays for What” survey revealed an increase in the number of shops that utilize “an invoicing system to bill for materials,” according to a press release.
A previous similar survey in 2021 reported “about half” of shops using “the multiplier method (a flat dollar amount per refinish hour) to bill for materials,” with only about 19% using “a materials calculator or invoicing system.”
Now, results for those that use an invoice system “remains essentially unchanged,” but the survey found that over 40% of shops now use both invoicing and other methods. This marks a 32% increase from 2021.
Mike Anderson of Collision Advice carries out the surveys with the help of CRASH Network. He believes that the price of paints increasing is what resulted in this change.
“I really think the large change we are seeing is due to the multiple increases in paint prices virtually all shops experienced since we last did this survey in January of 2022,” Anderson stated. “More shops are beginning to charge for paint and materials with a detailed invoice that shows exactly what was used on the vehicle.”
The current version of the survey is available now through the end of April here.
