| Key takeaways A small business can expect to pay $100 to $400 per user, per month for outsourced fully managed IT support, while on-call break/fix support ranges from $125 to $350 per hour. Alternatively, in-house full-time IT staff earn $58k to $100+k per year, plus benefits. Comparing scope and exclusions in competing service plans is more useful than comparing headline fees.A lower monthly fee may exclude essentials like security, backups, a help desk, or on-site support.A realistic IT support budget should combine recurring support with separately billed technology, security, and project costs. |
Note: All prices in this article are average 2026 US market rates, not quotes for Fidelis services.
Small and midsize businesses commonly pay about $100 to $400 per user, per month for ongoing managed IT support, while hourly or break/fix support typically costs about $125 to $350 per hour. Those figures are only starting points. Total cost depends on what the provider is responsible for, which services are included, and the number of users, devices, locations, and systems being supported.
This guide compares break/fix, managed, co-managed, and in-house IT so Seattle-area businesses can estimate their costs and compare quotes on equal terms.
Small business IT support pricing at a glance
The following table compares billing and pricing for break/fix IT support, managed IT, co-managed IT, and in-house IT. The figures are broad market pricing for 2026; actual costs depend on scope and environment.
| Support model | Market 2026 pricing | How it is billed | Best suited to |
| Break/fix IT support | $125–$350 per hour | Hourly, with possible minimums, travel, after-hours, or project charges | Very small businesses with limited technology dependence |
| Managed IT support | $100–$400 per user/month | Recurring per-user, per-device, or flat fee | Businesses that need ongoing support, maintenance, and security |
| Co-managed IT | Customized base fee, plus users, devices, or tools | Recurring service plan agreement | Businesses with internal IT staff that need extra capacity or expertise |
| In-house IT | $55k+/year for IT technician; $100k+ for IT manager, plus benefits, tools, training, and coverage | Recruiting and employment costs | Organizations large enough to fund dedicated internal roles |
How the main IT support pricing models work
In this section, we’ll look at each of the four IT support models and how their pricing relates to their advantages.
Break/fix or on-call, hourly IT support
Typical price: $125–$350 per hour
Under the break/fix model, a business requests help when a problem occurs or a project is required. The provider usually charges for technician time and may add minimum service periods and travel, after-hours, parts, or project fees.
Break/fix can be economical for a business with few systems, low technology dependence, or an isolated project. The tradeoffs are that costs are difficult to predict and the provider is not usually responsible for continuous monitoring, maintenance, documentation, or preventative measures. Recurring incidents and significant downtime can therefore make the total cost higher than the hourly rate initially suggests.
Who is break/fix IT support for?
Break/fix could be suitable for one-off project work and for businesses with very small teams or limited technology needs. However, even in these cases, risk assessment should be a significant consideration. For example, routine maintenance, security, and backups are typically not covered under this support model.
Managed IT support
Typical price: $100–$400 per user, per month
Managed IT support assigns day-to-day IT responsibilities to a managed service provider (MSP). Depending on the plan, these responsibilities may include help desk employee support, monitoring, patching, endpoint management, vendor coordination, documentation, backup oversight, and cybersecurity services.
Managed IT pricing is commonly structured as a combination of:
- Per user: A monthly charge for each supported employee, often covering that person’s approved devices
- Per device: A monthly charge for each managed computer, server, tablet, or other endpoint
- Flat or customized monthly fee: A base price for an agreed scope, sometimes with separate charges for selected tools, projects, or service tiers
The main benefit of a managed IT plan is predictable recurring support and clearer responsibility for routine IT operations. The main limitations are that scope remains contract-defined, some work may still be billed separately, and the business can become dependent on the provider’s processes and service quality.
Who is managed IT support for?
The managed IT model is best for organizations that want predictable support, maintenance, documentation, vendor coordination, and security management. It is ideal for small and medium-sized businesses and nonprofits.
Co-managed IT support
Typical price: Custom base fee + selected services
Co-managed IT support is a variation of the managed IT model, and many MSPs provide both services. It is designed to augment existing internal IT resources, where the internal IT department or a key employee retains partial ownership of the environment. The provider supplies selected capabilities such as remote support tools, a documentation platform, patch automation tools, upskillling, monitoring, help desk overflow, after-hours coverage, cybersecurity, escalation support, or project capacity.
Pricing varies widely depending on the division of responsibilities, so calculating a universal per-user fee is not feasible. A co-managed IT proposal may combine a base fee with charges for supported users, devices, locations, tools, or specialist services.
This model can extend coverage and expertise without replacing internal IT. It works best when ownership is documented clearly. If roles, escalation paths, and service boundaries are vague, work may be duplicated or missed.
Who is co-managed IT support for?
Co-managed IT is ideal for a growing business with internal IT resources that needs a partner to fill specialized skill gaps or offload routine tasks without replacing their current staff. For organizations with a single IT person, partnering with an MSP for co-managed support can reduce business risk by providing continuity of support in case the internal person is sick, on vacation, or leaves the organization.
In-house IT support
Typical cost: $55,000–$100,000+ per year + benefits and operating expenses
In-house IT staff bring the advantages of dedicated employees with direct organizational knowledge. Costs, however, include more than salary. Recruitment, training, benefits, and turnover all contribute to the total cost. And these roles are in high demand, compounding the risk of bad-fit hires and the resulting costs of low performance and termination. Management tools are usually still needed, so in most cases a co-managed arrangement makes sense to consider even with in-house IT.
In-house IT salary and benefits breakdown for 2026–27
According to the 2026 Washington State Employee Compensation Report, Seattle IT salaries range from $58k for a technician to $104k for a manager. Most of these individuals don’t have all of the skills needed to support a typical small to midsize organization, for example, a help desk in addition to network maintenance, data security, and strategy. Hiring a single generalist is typically not enough, leaving gaps that you might need to fill with additional headcount or outside expertise.
It’s also important to understand the breakdown of the above salaries. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the national median salary for IT administrators is approximately $97k per year, and over 30% of this is employee benefits, such as paid leave, insurance, and other contributions. When comparing the cost of outsourcing IT to hiring internal IT staff, remember that the IT service provider is including their own employees’ benefits as part of their service.
The true cost of an in-house IT hire actually extends far beyond their salary and benefits. It is also important to factor in the need for software, licensing, security tools, and ongoing technical training and certifications. For many businesses, partnering with a multimember, pretrained, fixed-rate MSP is more cost-effective.
Who is in-house IT support for?
In-house IT typically only makes sense for organizations with 50 or more staff, strict internal security requirements, and a budget large enough to sustain the salaries and benefits of a dedicated internal team.
The rest of this guide will focus on outsourced managed IT support plans and service costs for small and midsize businesses and nonprofits.
Outsourced IT: What should be included in a monthly IT support fee?
As mentioned above, managed IT plans typically charge a monthly fee for a suite of IT services, with the goal of a predictable monthly rate. A service described as “flat rate” or “all-inclusive” still has limits, so a proposal should define which users, devices, locations, service hours, tools, and responsibilities are covered.
Some of the included services are common across providers and their plans, while others tend to be optional. When assessing managed IT support plans, it is essential to research how well the included services match your requirements, and which services might require add-on fees.
Commonly included services (varies by plan and provider)
| Help desk and remote employee supportMonitoring and patch managementEndpoint management and protectionNetwork and server monitoringBackup monitoringUser onboarding and offboardingPlanning and budgeting | IT documentationVendor coordination and managementReporting and technology planningRemote and on-site supportSecurity awareness trainingNetwork operations center (NOC) or security operations center (SOC) monitoringPolicy reviews or development |
Commonly excluded services that are charged separately
| Initial onboarding or technology remediationNew computers, servers, networking equipment, and other hardwareLicenses for Microsoft 365 and other software BackupsDisaster recovery supportCybersecurity incident remediation | On-site supportMajor infrastructure projectsCloud migrationsOffice moves and network cablingCompliance assessments or remediationAfter-hours workSupport for unsupported or obsolete systems |
What affects small business IT support pricing?
Partnering with an MSP should be thought of as a strategic investment, and the final price of a service plan is rarely one-size-fits-all. It depends on a combination of the IT environment’s complexity and the desired level of support.
The following are the primary factors that can influence small business IT support pricing:
Number of users, devices, and locations
Two common models of IT support pricing are per user and per device. For most organizations, the number of employees and the number of devices are rarely the same. This is because a business may share devices among multiple users, or users may have several devices each.
For many managed IT providers, the total number of employees requiring support and the number of laptops, desktops, smartphones, and tablets they actually use, and the number of physical offices supported will directly dictate the service plan cost.
Age and complexity of the technology environment
Legacy applications, especially on unsupported operating systems, can force the MSP to build custom workarounds and security measures. If this is compounded by incomplete documentation of the network history, the MSP might have to map and reverse-engineer the network before they can efficiently support it.
Another factor impacting IT support pricing is “infrastructure sprawl,” where a mix of cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments requires a wide range of specialized expertise. Similarly, supporting devices with different makers, ages, and technical specifications can increase the time it takes to troubleshoot issues compared to a standardized hardware inventory.
Support hours and on-site requirements
Also impacting IT support pricing is the required “coverage window”: Business-hours help desk support (e.g., 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM) is typically less expensive than 24/7/365 coverage for night shifts, global remote workers, mission-critical processes, or weekend emergencies.
Another consideration is whether in-person, on-site work is included or billable. The majority of IT support today is done remotely, so plans that include regular, physical on-site visits from technicians may cost more than fully remote, help desk-only contracts.
Cybersecurity and compliance requirements
Data security is a never-ending process, as new threats require new defenses. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recommends implementing proactive practices for small and midsize businesses, including managed data backups, multifactor authentication, and training on the prevention of phishing and ransomware attacks.
Basic IT support plans might not include backups, antivirus, or email security. Adding advanced threat protection or a 24/7 security operations center and managed detection and response (MDR) will typically increase the price.
Another important consideration are regulatory compliance obligations. The rigorous auditing, reporting, and data archiving required to maintain compliance require specialized expertise. Businesses operating in highly regulated industries (such as healthcare requiring HIPAA, defense requiring CMMC, or finance requiring PCI DSS/FTC Safeguards) may have to pay additional fees for services not included in a typical managed service plan.
Onboarding, software licensing, and projects
Some providers charge a one-time onboarding fee for discovery, documentation, tool deployment, migrations, or initial remediation. Confirm whether Microsoft 365, security products, backup storage, and other subscriptions are included or passed through separately. Major projects such as office moves, server replacements, and cloud migrations are also commonly scoped outside recurring support.
How to estimate a monthly small business IT support budget
For a baseline estimate using the per-user pricing model, we can apply a simple formula:
| Recurring support fee + Security and software costs + Location/server/device charges + Planned project allowance = Estimated monthly per-user cost |
Then multiply this per-user cost by the number of supported users to find the total baseline monthly support range. For example, consider a Seattle business with the following setup:
Example IT support estimate for a 25-person Seattle business
- 25 supported users
- One office
- Mostly Microsoft 365 and cloud-based applications
- No internal IT employee
- Standard business-hours employee support
- Ongoing monitoring, patching, endpoint security, and backup oversight
At $100 to $250 per user, the baseline monthly range would be:
- Low estimate: 25 x $100 = $2,500 per month
- High estimate: 25 x $250 = $6,250 per month. This is not the complete budget if licensing, advanced security, servers, onboarding, remediation, or projects are charged separately. Those items should be added after the provider confirms the scope.
| Get an estimate based on your business Enter your number of users, computers, servers, and locations to see an estimated monthly investment range for Fidelis managed or co-managed IT. Estimate my monthly IT cost |
How to compare IT support quotes
IT support packages can vary widely between providers. To evaluate them, it is essential to compare similar service levels and normalize each quote before comparing the price. Two providers may use the same per-user pricing model while including different service hours, security tools, onsite coverage, or project work.
Questions to ask a prospective IT support provider
| Question | What it reveals |
| What counts as a billable user or device? | Whether the provider’s calculations match yours |
| Which support hours are included? | Whether evenings, weekends, and off-hour emergencies cost extra |
| Is on-site support included? | Whether travel and on-site labor will produce additional costs |
| Which security products are included? | Whether the quote includes monitoring, endpoint protection, email security, and training |
| Are backups included and regularly tested? | Whether the provider monitors backups and verifies recovery |
| What work is classified as a project? | Whether migrations, installations, and upgrades are outside the monthly fee |
| Are software licenses included? | Whether Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and security tools cost extra |
| Is there an onboarding charge? | The accurate first-year cost |
| What response commitments are documented? | The level of accountability attached to the price |
| How might the price change during the contract? | Annual increases, employee growth, and added locations |
How Fidelis prices IT support for Seattle-area businesses
Whether you want to outsource all or part of your IT, a partnership with Fidelis will typically cost you far less than creating or expanding an in-house IT team. We hate hidden costs as much as you do, so there are no surprises: Your plan will be flat rate, helping you control costs and budget long term. And since we measure success by your ROI, you can choose a monthly pay-as-you-go plan for maximum agility.
You can choose a done-for-you fully managed option or a done-with-you co-managed plan to augment your existing in-house resources. Costs and options are laid out on our pricing page, but in general, we consider:
| Number of office locationsSupported employees and contractorsComputers and workstationsExisting internal IT resourcesServers and cloud virtual machines | Cloud file-sharing environmentBackup and disaster recoveryCybersecurityCompliance requirementsCloud servicesOn-site support |
Small business IT support pricing FAQs
How much does managed IT support cost per user?
In 2026, most small businesses in the US are paying between $100 and $400 per user, per month for fully managed IT services. At the low end, this flat monthly fee usually covers help desk support, remote monitoring, essential cybersecurity, and patch management. Highly regulated industries or businesses needing advanced 24/7 security operations and compliance management may see prices closer to the $400-per-user level.
What is the average hourly rate for IT support?
For the break/fix model, typical rates range from $125 to $350 per hour, although location, urgency, expertise, minimum service periods, travel, and after-hours work can impact the cost. Hourly support may suit occasional needs, but it produces less predictable spending than a recurring plan.
Is outsourced IT cheaper than hiring an in-house employee?
Typically yes, and in many cases, significantly. An experienced full-time IT generalist in the US typically earns up to $125,000 annually when factoring in salary, benefits, and taxes. For a 25-person company with typical IT needs, outsourcing to an MSP might cost just $30,000 to $90,000 a year. For less than the cost of one new hire, outsourcing grants you access to an entire team of specialized experts, 24/7 monitoring, and enterprise-grade tools, without the costs of recruiting and training or the risks of turnover, sick days, or vacation gaps.
Are cybersecurity services included in managed IT pricing?
Yes, most managed IT plans include foundational cybersecurity, such as antivirus software and patch management. Many MSPs offer advanced security tiers which cost more but add crucial defenses such as 24/7 SOC monitoring, continuous threat hunting, managed endpoint detection and response (MDR/EDR), identity threat detection and response (ITDR), security information and event management (SIEM), and compliance auditing. Some MSPs include these advanced security features, but it varies from one provider to another. When comparing providers, always review any agreement to confirm exactly which security tools are bundled into your monthly service plan fee.
Why do IT providers give such different quotes?
Because quotes for $100 per user and $200 per user can describe entirely different service levels. Lower quotes frequently omit features such as on-site visits, cloud backups, or advanced cybersecurity. These are then billed as additional services. Higher quotes typically represent plans that include more services as part of the per-user fee. When comparing quotes, look past the headline prices and carefully examine the specific services, response times, and responsibilities.
At what size does a business need managed IT support?
Generally, once a business reaches 10 to 15 employees, relying on tech-savvy staff members to fix IT issues becomes a costly drain on their actual jobs. At this size, the risks of a cyberattack or data loss also escalate significantly. If your technology downtime directly halts revenue generation or if you are bound by industry compliance regulations, it is time to formalize your IT support through a reliable managed service provider.
How much should a small business budget for IT each year?
Most successful small to midsize businesses allocate 3% to 11% of their annual gross revenue to their IT budget. This percentage should comfortably cover managed support services, recurring software licenses, hardware life cycle replacements, and robust cybersecurity defenses. By treating technology as a strategic, predictable investment rather than a series of emergency, break/fix expenses, you protect your business from costly, unexpected downtime and keep your workforce highly productive. Highly regulated or technically complex businesses are typically at the higher end of the range.
Get a clearer estimate for your IT support pricing
Published ranges can help you plan, but they cannot account for your users, systems, locations, security requirements, and current IT setup. Fidelis can give you an estimated monthly range before you commit to a sales conversation.
