Hearth works for electricians as a flat-fee financing platform: you pay $1,499 to $1,799 per year for its main plans (plus a one-time $99 setup fee), and your customers get monthly payment offers from a marketplace of up to 18 lenders with no per-job dealer fee taken out of your invoice. The math favors Hearth once you finance roughly $46,000 or more per year, which for an electrical contractor means a handful of panel upgrades, a generator install or two, and one rewire. Below that volume, a pay-per-use option like Wisetack usually costs less.
Key takeaways
- Hearth's 2026 plans run $1,499 (Essentials), $1,799 (Pro), and $4,999 (Elite) per year plus a $99 setup fee, with zero per-job dealer fees, according to Hearth's own pricing page.
- The breakeven against Wisetack's 3.9% transaction fee sits near $46,000 in financed volume per year; above that, Hearth Pro is the cheaper platform.
- Wisetack caps loans at $25,000, which is barely above Angi's $24,300 national average for a knob and tube rewire; Hearth's ceiling is $250,000.
- A Level 2 EV charger install typically costs $1,000 to $2,500 in 2026, and Qmerit reports the median jumps to $2,744 when a panel upgrade is required.
- Hearth accepts homeowner FICO scores as low as 550, and approved customers can be funded in as little as 24 hours.
What Hearth costs electricians in 2026
Hearth charges electrical contractors a flat annual subscription instead of a percentage of each financed job. As of mid-2026, Hearth's pricing page lists three tiers, and the numbers matter because a lot of older articles still quote a single $1,799 price as if it were the only option.
| Plan | Annual cost (2026) | Per-job dealer fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $1,499 | $0 | Core financing tools; one-time $99 setup fee applies to all plans |
| Pro | $1,799 | $0 | Hearth's most popular tier; adds quotes, invoicing, and payments |
| Elite | $4,999 | $0 | For larger teams; rarely necessary for a small electrical shop |
The loan product itself: homeowners can pre-qualify with a soft credit pull in about a minute, borrow $1,000 to $250,000 on terms of 2 to 12 years, at APRs Hearth lists from 4.9% to 35.99% depending on credit. The winning lender funds the homeowner directly, in as little as 24 hours after approval, and the homeowner pays you the way they would pay any cash customer. Hearth also reports that jobs won with financing offered average 15% or more larger than jobs won without it, a median across 801 contractors over 24 months. For the full fee breakdown, see how much Hearth costs contractors in 2026, and for the plan decision, Hearth Pro vs the entry plan.
Electrical jobs worth financing, with verified 2026 prices
Financing only earns its keep on high-ticket electrical work. A $200 outlet swap does not need a payment plan. The table below shows the 2026 price ranges homeowners are actually seeing, from named cost guides rather than guesswork, because your financing pitch falls apart the moment your numbers sound inflated.
| Job type | Typical 2026 cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Panel upgrade to 200A | $1,200 to $2,000 typical; up to $4,500+ in high-cost metros or complex installs | Angi, HomeAdvisor |
| Level 2 EV charger install (no panel work) | $1,000 to $2,500 all-in with permit | EcoFlow, Qmerit cost guides |
| EV charger install requiring panel upgrade | $2,744 median; $4,000+ on hardwired jobs with service upgrades | Qmerit |
| Standby generator, installed (10 to 26kW) | $6,000 to $15,000 | HomeGuide, Angi |
| Knob and tube whole-home rewire | $12,000 to $36,600; $24,300 national average | Angi |
Two things jump out of that table. First, the everyday panel upgrade is cheaper than most financing articles claim, so on its own it often lands below the range where homeowners bother to finance. Second, generators and rewires are squarely in five-figure territory, and a $24,300 average rewire nearly exceeds Wisetack's $25,000 loan cap before change orders. Those two job types alone can justify a flat-fee platform.
The EV charger opportunity, honestly sized
EV charger work is still a real pipeline for electricians, but the 2026 picture deserves an honest read. New EV sales share dipped to roughly 5.8% of US new vehicle sales in early 2026 after the $7,500 federal tax credit expired in September 2025, according to CarEdge's market tracking. Installed base is what drives charger installs, though, and there are now about 5.8 million EVs on US roads, most of which charge at home overnight.
The financing angle appears when the charger job grows. A straightforward Level 2 install at $1,200 to $1,800 is a credit card purchase. A charger plus a service upgrade, a subpanel, or a long conduit run becomes a $3,000 to $6,000 project, and Qmerit's data shows the median install cost jumping to $2,744 the moment panel work enters the scope. That customer already committed to a vehicle costing $35,000 or more; a monthly payment on the electrical work that makes it usable is an easy conversation. Practice the wording with our kitchen table financing pitch guide before you need it.
Panel upgrades and generators: the bundle pitch
Panel upgrades rarely happen in isolation, and the bundle is where financing closes work. A homeowner adding an EV charger, a heat pump, or a hot tub to a 100-amp service needs the panel first, which turns a $1,500 job into a $4,000 to $8,000 project. A generator install at $6,000 to $15,000 installed (HomeGuide's 2026 range for standby units) is almost always a financed or home-equity purchase for the household that wants it.
Older homes are also where credit profiles get complicated. Hearth's lender marketplace accepts FICO scores down to 550, which matters for long-time owners with paid-off houses and thin recent credit. Platforms with an effective floor near 620 quietly lose those approvals. We cover the mechanics in Hearth's 550 FICO minimum explained and how Hearth's lender network gets more homeowners approved.
Hearth vs Wisetack fee math at electrician volumes
Wisetack is the most common alternative electricians weigh against Hearth. Wisetack charges no subscription and takes a 3.9% fee per financed transaction, with promotional 0% APR offers stacking another 4.9% to 9.9% on top, per Wisetack's published fee schedule. Hearth Pro costs $1,799 flat. The crossover point is simple division: $1,799 divided by 3.9% is about $46,000 in financed volume per year.
| Annual financed volume | Hearth Pro ($1,799 flat) | Wisetack (3.9% standard fee) | Cheaper option |
|---|---|---|---|
| $25,000 (a few panel/EV jobs) | $1,799 | $975 | Wisetack, by $824 |
| $46,000 | $1,799 | $1,794 | Breakeven |
| $75,000 (steady large-job flow) | $1,799 | $2,925 | Hearth, by $1,126 |
| $120,000 (generators + a rewire) | $1,799 | $4,680 | Hearth, by $2,881 |
| $200,000 | $1,799 | $7,800 | Hearth, by $6,001 |
Promotional financing widens the gap. If you offer Wisetack's 0% for 12 months on a $12,000 generator job, the combined fee is 10.8%, or about $1,296 on that single job. Hearth's flat fee does not move when you promote payment options, which is why high-ticket trades gravitate to it. The full head-to-head lives in our Hearth vs Wisetack comparison.
Which platform fits your electrical business
Choose Hearth if you finance more than roughly $46,000 per year, you sell generators or rewires that can breach Wisetack's $25,000 cap, or you work older neighborhoods where the 550 FICO floor wins approvals. Choose Wisetack if your financed volume is small or unproven, most of your financed tickets sit between $2,000 and $15,000, or you want zero fixed cost while you test whether financing changes your close rate.
Plenty of established shops run both: Wisetack for mid-ticket service work, Hearth for the five-figure projects. If you are new to offering financing entirely, start with the workflow, not the platform. Our walkthrough on using financing during an in-home estimate shows where the payment conversation belongs in the visit, and pairing it with a system from our best CRMs for electrical contractors roundup keeps quotes and follow-ups from leaking.
Common mistakes electricians make with financing
- Quoting monthly payments you invented. Payment offers come from lenders after a soft pull. Say "payments in the range of" until the homeowner pre-qualifies.
- Leading with financing on sub-$2,000 work. Below that line most homeowners just pay, and the pitch reads as upselling.
- Buying the subscription before the volume exists. $1,799 against $20,000 of financed work is a 9% effective fee. Prove volume on a pay-per-use platform first.
- Ignoring the loan cap. A rewire that grows past $25,000 mid-project cannot be financed on Wisetack; know your ceiling before you sign the contract.
- Mentioning payments only after sticker shock. Financing works best printed on every quote over $3,000, not deployed as a rescue line.
How we put this together
We pulled Hearth's plan pricing, loan terms, and lender count from Hearth's own pricing and electrician pages as of July 2026, and Wisetack's fees from its published fee documentation. Job cost ranges come from Angi, HomeAdvisor, HomeGuide, Qmerit, and EcoFlow 2026 cost guides, and EV market figures from CarEdge and Recharged industry data. Where sources disagreed, we showed the range rather than picking a convenient number. Last verified July 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Does Hearth charge electricians a fee on each financed job?
No, Hearth charges no per-job dealer fee; you pay a flat annual subscription of $1,499 to $1,799 for its main plans plus a one-time $99 setup fee. The homeowner's lender funds them directly and you invoice as if they were a cash customer.
What credit score do my customers need for Hearth financing?
Hearth's lender marketplace accepts FICO scores as low as 550, though customers at the bottom of that range see higher APRs, up to Hearth's listed 35.99% maximum. Pre-qualification uses a soft pull, so checking offers does not ding the homeowner's credit.
How much does a Level 2 EV charger installation cost in 2026?
A typical Level 2 install runs $1,000 to $2,500 all-in with equipment, labor, and permit, per 2026 cost guides from EcoFlow and Qmerit. Qmerit reports the median rises to $2,744 when a panel upgrade is needed, and hardwired jobs with service upgrades can pass $4,000.
Can Hearth finance a whole-home rewire?
Yes, Hearth's loan ceiling is $250,000, so even a large knob and tube rewire (Angi's national average is $24,300) fits comfortably. That headroom is a practical advantage over Wisetack, which caps loans at $25,000.
How fast does the homeowner get their money?
Approved customers can be funded in as little as 24 hours, according to Hearth, with funds sent directly to the homeowner rather than to you. Build your deposit and progress payment schedule around that timing.
Is Hearth worth it for a one-person electrical shop?
Only if your financed volume clears roughly $46,000 per year, which is the point where the $1,799 Pro subscription beats Wisetack's 3.9% per-transaction fee. A solo electrician doing two generator installs and one rewire per year can clear that bar; one doing service calls and the odd panel swap usually will not.
Ready to run the numbers on your own book? Hearth offers a flat-fee model with up to 18 lenders and no per-job dealer fees. See if Hearth fits your electrical business, or start with the dealer fee math if you are still comparing platforms.
