Automobile Collision Repairers

Salary ranges of collision repairers vary depending on level of experience, type of shop, and geographic location. The median annual salary for automotive body and related repairers was $42,730 in May 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. At the lower end of the pay scale, repairers with less experience and repairers who were employed by smaller shops tended to earn less; experienced repairers with management positions earned more. The lowest paid 10 percent earned $25,960 or less, and the top 10 percent $71,970 or more. In many repair shops and dealerships, collision repairers can make more by working on commission, typically earning 40 to 50 percent of the labor costs charged to customers. Employers often guarantee a minimum level of pay in addition to commissions. Trainees are usually paid by the hour, earning between 30 and 60 percent of skilled workers' pay, until they gain enough experience to receive incentive-based payments.