IT Consulting Business Plan: Free Template, Sample Plan and Startup Costs (2026)

By The Zarla Team · Updated October 2026

Typical startup costs of $2,706–$10,785, what owners really earn, the licenses you'll need in the US, how to write every section, and a complete sample plan for Clearpath Office IT — free to download as a Word template or PDF, or make it yours in five questions.

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IT consulting business plan at a glance

Starting an IT consulting business in the US typically costs $2,706–$10,785, with working capital and insurance the biggest lines. Typical monthly costs run $631–$1,717 before owner pay and tax. The most common monthly price per user among MSPs that charge per user, in Kaseya's 2024 survey of 984 MSPs: $50–$100.

Licenses and permits in the US (6 in all): business registration, EIN and a local business license; a low-voltage, cabling or alarm license where your state requires one; and private investigator rules for data searches, in Texas — the rules vary by state.
The plan: eleven sections, from the executive summary to what a lender, a landlord or an investor will ask for, written from five questions — free, no sign-up to write it.
The sample plan on this page: Clearpath Office IT, Omaha, NE — a fictional IT consulting business, a one-technician managed IT business looking after the computers, networks and security of small offices.
The first 30 days: 8 steps, starting with “Pick the offices you'll serve”.
Downloads: the fill-in template as Word and PDF, and the sample plan as PDF — free, no email address.

Facts checked October 14, 2026. Every figure is a published US range, not a quote; the sources are listed on this page, which covers how to write an IT consulting business plan, the complete sample plan and the free template.

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The numbers first

$2,706–$10,785to start an IT consulting businessTypical US range, required lines

$50–$100the most common monthly price per user among MSPs that charge per user, in Kaseya's 2024 survey of 984 MSPs

$101–$200/hrwhat 63% of the 984 MSPs in the same survey charged for break/fix work by the hour

$61,860the 2025 US median for computer user support specialists (O*NET) — what a help-desk technician you hire expects ($76,220 for network support)

Startup costs

What it costs to start an IT consulting business

Typical US ranges, whole dollars. Optional lines are marked and left out of the total. The struck-through lines are what a Zarla plan covers, with the reason beside each; the generator turns this table into your own list.

IT services business startup costs
Item	Low	High
A work laptop and a repair kitMany start on a laptop they already own; the low end is iFixit's Essential Electronics Toolkit ($29.95) and an anti-static wrist strap ($7.95). The high end is Dell's Pro 14 business laptop, listed from $1,334 in October 2026, with iFixit's Pro Tech Toolkit ($79.95), the strap and a portable anti-static mat ($34.95). Parts are bought per job and billed to the client.	$38	$1,457
Your own monitoring, ticketing, remote-support and documentation tools to startSyncro's RMM and PSA in one is $159 a technician a month, paid month to month (three months: $477), with unlimited devices — or $129 on an annual plan, which commits you for the year. Remote support for clients' computers: Splashtop Remote Support SOS, billed annually at $259 a technician, or ConnectWise ScreenConnect Standard at $47 a month billed annually ($564). Documentation: Hudu at $27 a user a month billed annually ($324), or none at first. The security and backup licenses for clients' computers are a monthly cost per device, billed back to the client.	$736	$1,365
Microsoft 365, or the Microsoft partner program's Core benefits, first yearMicrosoft 365 Business Basic is $7 a user a month paid yearly ($84). Joining the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program is free; its Partner Success Core benefits package is $925 a year and includes internal-use licenses — 15 seats of Microsoft 365 Business Premium among them — and Azure credits.	$84	$925
Insurance: tech E&O with cyber, and general liability, first yearInsureon's medians (June 2026): IT consultants pay $75 a month ($899 a year) for technology E&O, which bundles errors and omissions with cyber cover, and $31 a month ($369) for general liability; computer repair businesses pay $89 a month ($1,073) for the same bundled tech E&O and $37 ($440) for general liability. Cyber bought on its own instead runs $128 a month ($1,540) for IT consultants and $145 a month ($1,735) for computer repair.	$1,268	$1,513
Certifications: CompTIA A+, and Security+ if you sell securityOptional — no law requires them for IT support. CompTIA A+ is two exams at $274 each ($548) since CompTIA's June 1, 2026 price rise; Security+ is $439.	$0	$987
Business registration (LLC) and EINAn LLC is $40 in Kentucky and $300 in Texas; in California it's $70 to form and $20 for the Statement of Information, plus an $800 yearly state tax on every LLC — the top of this line. The EIN from the IRS is free.	$40	$890
Website and Google Business ProfileIncluded with ZarlaYour Zarla plan includes the website — a page for each service you offer and a contact form, with your plans, response times and the industries you serve added in chat — and walks you through your Google Business Profile. Having one built typically costs $500 to $2,000 from a freelancer.	$0	$2,000
Working capital: two months of running costsTwo months of the monthly lines below that the startup list doesn't already pay ahead — fuel, phone and internet, and marketing — while break/fix work brings in the first agreements. Your tools and Microsoft 365 are paid ahead above, and the security and backup licenses for clients' computers are billed back to them. Your own living costs come on top: only you can set them.	$540	$1,648
A low-voltage or alarm license, if you'll run cable or install cameras (optional)Optional — typically $225–$650. Only where your state licenses cabling or camera work. North Carolina's Fire Alarm/Low-Voltage license is $125 to apply and take the exam, then $100 a year ($225); California's C-7 Low Voltage Systems license is $450 to apply and $200 for a sole owner ($650), plus a $25,000 bond and four years of experience, and is needed for jobs of $1,000 or more, or any job that needs a permit or a hired hand. Texas treats installing recording cameras or access control as alarm work under its private security law.	$0	$0
Typical total (required lines)	$2,706	$10,785

Startup ranges: Dell's US listing (Dell Pro 14 from $1,334, October 2026), iFixit's store (Essential Electronics Toolkit $29.95, Pro Tech Toolkit $79.95, anti-static wrist strap $7.95, portable anti-static mat $34.95), Syncro's pricing ($129 a technician a month on an annual plan, $159 monthly), Splashtop Remote Support SOS ($259 a year a technician), ConnectWise ScreenConnect Standard ($47 a month billed annually), Hudu ($27 a user a month billed annually), Microsoft 365 Business Basic ($7 a user a month, paid yearly), the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program (free to join; Partner Success Core $925 a year, with 15 internal-use Business Premium seats), Insureon's medians for IT consultants and computer repair businesses (June 2026), CompTIA's exam prices (A+ $274 an exam, Security+ $439) as Total Seminars records them after the June 1, 2026 price rise, state LLC fees (Kentucky $40, Texas $300, California $70 and $20, and California's $800 yearly LLC tax), the IRS (the EIN is free), and North Carolina's NCBEEC and California's CSLB license fees and bond — checked October 14, 2026. Ranges are what a small operation typically pays in the US; replace them with real quotes as you get them.

Monthly costs

What it costs to run each month

Typical monthly operating costs for a small operation, before the owner's own pay.

Cost	Typical monthly range
Your monitoring, ticketing, remote-support and documentation tools	$181–$233
Microsoft 365 for yourself	$0–$7
Security and backup licenses for about 60 client computers	$180–$653
Fuel for on-site visits	$70–$174
Phone, internet and after-hours answering	$100–$250
Chamber membership, networking and local marketing	$100–$400

Typical total: $631–$1,717 a month. Monthly ranges: Syncro, Splashtop, ScreenConnect, Hudu, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Defender for Business ($3 a user a month), Huntress Managed EDR ($8.99 an endpoint a month list; $7.99 in its 100-endpoint example) and Syncro's Microsoft 365 backup ($1.90 a user), and the US Energy Information Administration's average for regular gasoline ($4.354 a gallon, week of October 5, 2026) — checked October 14, 2026.

How much an IT consulting business makes

An IT services business earns in two ways. Managed agreements pay a fixed price every month — per user, per device or a mix — for monitoring, support, patching and backups, and they are the business: predictable, and more profitable the fewer problems the clients have. Break/fix work pays by the hour when something goes wrong, which is how many new providers start and how many first clients are won. In Kaseya's 2024 survey of 984 MSPs (a software vendor's survey, taken in November 2023), the most common per-user price was $50 to $100 a month, 51% of all respondents charged $150 or less per user, and 63% charged $101 to $200 an hour for break/fix; MSPs' own 2026 price guides quote $100 to $250 a user for full-service plans. Profit isn't guaranteed: in Kaseya's 2026 report, the share of MSPs not yet profitable on managed services doubled to 10%, and 71% put acquiring new customers among their top three issues — more than any other. No public survey reports what a one-person IT business owner takes home. A computer repair shop runs on the same numbers with a counter and more walk-in work — shops' own recent price pages show $50 to $75 diagnostic fees credited to the repair — and pays less: computer, ATM and office machine repairers earned a 2025 median of $47,810 employed (O*NET). About 60 users at around $120 a month is about $7,200 of monthly agreements; the client licenses and your tools come out of it, and what the owner keeps depends on how many hours each client takes.

$50–$100 — the most common monthly price per user among MSPs that charge per user, in Kaseya's 2024 survey of 984 MSPs
$101–$200/hr — what 63% of the 984 MSPs in the same survey charged for break/fix work by the hour
$61,860 — the 2025 US median for computer user support specialists (O*NET) — what a help-desk technician you hire expects ($76,220 for network support)

Prices and earnings: Kaseya's 2024 MSP Benchmark Survey (984 MSPs, November 2023 — per-user, per-device and break/fix price brackets), Kaseya's 2026 State of the MSP report (1,061 MSPs, November 2025 — profitability and challenges), MSPs' own 2026 managed IT price guides, three computer repair shops' own price pages (2025–2026), and O*NET's 2025 medians for computer user support specialists ($61,860), network support specialists ($76,220) and computer, ATM and office machine repairers ($47,810) — checked October 14, 2026.

Rules: Texas Occupations Code chapter 1702 (alarm systems; the investigations company exemptions), California's CSLB (C-7 Low Voltage Systems; the minor-work limit raised from $500 to $1,000 on January 1, 2025), North Carolina's NCBEEC, the Texas Comptroller and California's CDTFA on sales tax, HHS's business associate guidance, the FTC Safeguards Rule, California's DIR and the Texas Department of Insurance on workers' compensation — checked October 14, 2026.

Licenses and permits

Licenses, permits and insurance for an IT consulting business

What you need before you can legally trade in the US. Rules vary by state and city — confirm each item with your local licensing office and an accountant.

Requirement	What it means
Business registration, EIN and a local business license	In the US you can form an LLC — $40 in Kentucky, $300 in Texas, $70 in California plus its $800 yearly LLC tax — and take a free EIN from the IRS. Many cities and counties want a business license even for a home office — check locally.
A low-voltage, cabling or alarm license where your state requires one	In the US IT support itself needs no state license in most places, but some states license the physical work around it. The private security law in Texas counts installing a camera system that records, or computer-controlled door access, as alarm systems work; California requires a C-7 Low Voltage Systems license for jobs of $1,000 or more — or of any size if the job needs a permit or you employ anyone (the small-job limit rose from $500 to $1,000 on January 1, 2025); North Carolina licenses fire alarm and low-voltage work ($125 to apply, $100 a year). Check your state before you pull cable or mount a camera.
Private investigator rules for data searches, in Texas	In the US, the private investigator law in Texas reaches anyone who reviews computer data to find information about a person for someone else; it exempts repair and maintenance that only looks at data to diagnose a problem, and work responding to a cybersecurity event. Forensic work for a lawsuit or an employer can need the license there — check your state's rules before you take it.
Sales tax on hardware and, in some states, on IT services	In the US hardware you resell is taxable in states with a sales tax, and some states tax services too: Texas taxes data processing (80% of the charge) and repairs of personal property, while California generally doesn't tax itemized repair labor, only the parts. Confirm with your state's revenue department and an accountant before you set prices.
A HIPAA business associate agreement for medical clients	In the US the Department of Health and Human Services names a managed services provider whose support work requires it to create, receive, maintain or transmit a medical practice's electronic patient information as an example of a HIPAA business associate: you sign a business associate agreement and are directly liable for parts of the HIPAA rules. Tax preparers and other financial firms are covered by the FTC Safeguards Rule, which requires their contracts to spell out security expectations for providers like you.
Technology E&O, cyber and general liability insurance	In the US no law requires them, but clients' contracts may ask for tech E&O, and a missed backup or a breach through your remote tools can reach every client at once. Most states require workers' compensation once you hire — California even for one employee — while Texas leaves it optional for most private employers.

How to write it

How to write an IT consulting business plan

The sections a lender, a landlord or an investor expects to see — and what goes in each one for an IT consulting business. Clearpath Office IT's sample plan below follows this outline exactly.

Executive summary

One page, written last: what the business is, where it trades, who it serves, what it costs to start — typically $2,706–$10,785 for an IT consulting business — and where that money is coming from. Someone who reads nothing else should still know the whole plan. For Clearpath Office IT below, that page says: a one-technician managed IT business looking after the computers, networks and security of small offices in Omaha, NE, $5,748 to start.

Products and services

What you offer and how you charge for it. For an IT consulting business that usually means managed IT support on a monthly per-user plan; break/fix help desk and on-site support, by the hour; and network, Wi-Fi and firewall setup. Keep the base offer simple and price the add-ons separately.

Market analysis

Who pays, and why they'd pick you: offices of five to fifty people with no IT staff — dental and medical practices, law firms, accountants; owners whose “IT person” is a relative or the most technical employee. Name the two or three local competitors a customer would compare you with and the one thing you do better. Skip the market-size statistics — a lender wants your customers, not the industry's.

Marketing strategy

How those customers find you: referrals from former employers, clients and the people you've worked with — asked to pass your name on, not to hire you; Google Business Profile and Google — “IT support near me” and “managed IT services” plus your city; and chamber of commerce mixers and local business groups, where owners meet the person behind the service. Put a cost and an expected result beside each channel, and say which one you'll start with.

Operations plan

The week to week, plainly: per-user monthly plans with response times in the contract, and projects quoted separately; remote monitoring and management on every client device, so many problems are fixed before the call; and every client's passwords, licenses and network documented in one secured system. If the plan can't say who does what on an ordinary Tuesday, it isn't finished.

Startup costs

Every line you'll spend before you start, with a running total — typically $2,706–$10,785 for an IT consulting business, and the two biggest lines (working capital; insurance) move it most. The table above is the starting list; replace each range with a real quote as you get one.

Financial plan

Typical monthly costs ($631–$1,717 a month for a small IT consulting business, before your own pay), the monthly sales you're aiming for (Clearpath Office IT plans on $7,200 a month), and how many months it takes to recover the startup budget. Use ranges until you have quotes, and never invent a revenue forecast to make the page look full.

Milestones, risks and the appendix

The first 30 days as a dated to-do list. Clearpath Office IT's begins: pick the offices you'll serve — one industry, one size — and the tools you'll standardize them on. Then the risks, said out loud: a breach or ransomware attack through your own remote tools can hit every client at once. Then the licenses and permits you'll need, and what a lender will ask for beyond the plan: two years of personal tax returns and a personal financial statement, for a start.

The sample plan

Clearpath Office IT is a fictional IT consulting business in Omaha, NE — a one-technician managed IT business looking after the computers, networks and security of small offices. The plan below is exactly what the free generator writes from five answers, in the outline above, with every number calculated from the figures on this page rather than invented. Read it as a worked example, then make it yours.

Make this plan mine Download the template (Word)Download the template (PDF)Download this sample (PDF)

Business plan

Sample plan · fictional business

A complete IT consulting business plan: Clearpath Office IT

Omaha, NE · Startup plan · a fictional IT consulting business, written by the free generator from five answers

Executive summary

Clearpath Office IT is a new IT services business in Omaha, NE offering managed IT support on a monthly per-user plan; break/fix help desk and on-site support, by the hour; network, Wi-Fi and firewall setup; cybersecurity, backups and email security; and Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace setup and migration. The model is monthly per-user plans with response times in the contract, every client standardized on the same tools and security setup, and break/fix work used as the way in rather than the business.

Startup budget: $5,748 across 8 items, funded from savings. Target: $7,200 in monthly sales.

Twelve months from now, success looks like this: About 60 users across five or six small offices at around $120 a user a month — inside the $101–$150 bracket of Kaseya's 2024 survey of MSPs — about $7,200 a month of agreements, with break/fix work as the way in

Products and services

Clearpath Office IT's core service is managed IT support on a monthly per-user plan. Every client signs a managed services agreement setting out the per-user price, response times, what's included and who is responsible for what; every device is monitored and patched remotely; and every new client starts with a review of their network and security that shows what needs fixing first.

Managed IT support on a monthly per-user plan
Break/fix help desk and on-site support, by the hour
Network, Wi-Fi and firewall setup
Cybersecurity, backups and email security
Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace setup and migration

Market analysis

The customers are small offices with no IT staff — medical and dental practices, law firms and accountants first, because they hold sensitive data and have rules to meet — and owners who are tired of their most technical employee being the IT department.

Offices of five to fifty people with no IT staff — dental and medical practices, law firms, accountants
Owners whose “IT person” is a relative or the most technical employee
Businesses that must meet a security requirement for an insurer, a client or a regulator
Home offices and small shops that need break/fix help when something stops working

Marketing strategy

Most clients will come from referrals and word of mouth — the people the owner has worked with, internet providers and other trades who meet IT problems first, and offices that recommend a good provider to each other. Google brings the urgent calls: an office searching “IT support near me” compares Google Business Profiles, reviews and a website that shows plans, response times and a way to get in touch.

Referrals from former employers, clients and the people you've worked with — asked to pass your name on, not to hire you
Google Business Profile and Google — “IT support near me” and “managed IT services” plus your city
Chamber of commerce mixers and local business groups, where owners meet the person behind the service
Internet providers and other trades who meet the office's IT problems first and need someone to send
A website with your plans, response times, the industries you serve and a contact form to ask for an assessment

Operations plan

The owner sells, supports and documents in year one, standardizes every client on the same tools, tests backups by restoring them every quarter, and tracks tickets and hours per user so an office that costs more than its plan is repriced at renewal.

Per-user monthly plans with response times in the contract, and projects quoted separately
Remote monitoring and management on every client device, so many problems are fixed before the call
Every client's passwords, licenses and network documented in one secured system
Backups tested by a real restore every quarter, not just a green check mark
Multi-factor authentication on every client account, starting with your own tools

Startup costs

What it will take to open the doors, funded from savings.

Startup costs
Item	Amount
A work laptop and a repair kit	$748
Your own monitoring, ticketing, remote-support and documentation tools to start	$1,051
Microsoft 365, or the Microsoft partner program's Core benefits, first year	$505
Insurance: tech E&O with cyber, and general liability, first year	$1,391
Certifications: CompTIA A+, and Security+ if you sell security	$494
Business registration (LLC) and EIN	$465
Website and Google Business Profile	$0
Working capital: two months of running costs	$1,094
Total	$5,748

Typical range to start an IT consulting business in the US: $2,706–$10,785. Your list is what you decided to spend — replace estimates with real quotes as you get them. Website and Google Business Profile: Your Zarla plan includes the website — a page for each service you offer and a contact form, with your plans, response times and the industries you serve added in chat — and walks you through your Google Business Profile. Having one built typically costs $500 to $2,000 from a freelancer.

Financial plan

The numbers below come from your own startup list and typical monthly costs for a one-technician IT services business in the US. A year of insurance and two months of running costs are the biggest startup lines; the client security and backup licenses grow with every user you take on and are billed back inside the per-user price, so the plan turns on how many users are under monthly agreements at what price.

Typical monthly operating costs for an IT consulting business: $631–$1,717 a month, before the owner's own pay.

At $7,200 in monthly sales, Clearpath Office IT would clear $5,483–$6,569 a month before owner pay and tax, and recover the $5,748 startup budget in roughly 1–2 months.

Typical monthly operating costs
Cost	Typical range
Your monitoring, ticketing, remote-support and documentation tools	$181–$233
Microsoft 365 for yourself	$0–$7
Security and backup licenses for about 60 client computers	$180–$653
Fuel for on-site visits	$70–$174
Phone, internet and after-hours answering	$100–$250
Chamber membership, networking and local marketing	$100–$400

US ranges for a small operation; replace with your own figures as you learn them.

Risks and honest downsides

Every IT consulting business plan should say out loud what can go wrong. For Clearpath Office IT, the real risks are:

A breach or ransomware attack through your own remote tools can hit every client at once
Break/fix income stops the week nothing breaks; without monthly agreements the calendar is feast or famine
Per-user prices set too low in year one are hard to raise once a client is used to them
One client paying most of the bills can leave with most of your income — a bankruptcy or a sale is enough
One technician is one point of failure — a sick day or a holiday leaves every client without cover
Clients who refuse backups, updates or multi-factor authentication still blame the provider when it fails

Licenses, permits and insurance

What Clearpath Office IT needs before it can legally trade in the US. Rules vary by state and city — confirm each item with your local licensing office and an accountant.

Business registration, EIN and a local business license — In the US you can form an LLC — $40 in Kentucky, $300 in Texas, $70 in California plus its $800 yearly LLC tax — and take a free EIN from the IRS. Many cities and counties want a business license even for a home office — check locally.
A low-voltage, cabling or alarm license where your state requires one — In the US IT support itself needs no state license in most places, but some states license the physical work around it. The private security law in Texas counts installing a camera system that records, or computer-controlled door access, as alarm systems work; California requires a C-7 Low Voltage Systems license for jobs of $1,000 or more — or of any size if the job needs a permit or you employ anyone (the small-job limit rose from $500 to $1,000 on January 1, 2025); North Carolina licenses fire alarm and low-voltage work ($125 to apply, $100 a year). Check your state before you pull cable or mount a camera.
Private investigator rules for data searches, in Texas — In the US, the private investigator law in Texas reaches anyone who reviews computer data to find information about a person for someone else; it exempts repair and maintenance that only looks at data to diagnose a problem, and work responding to a cybersecurity event. Forensic work for a lawsuit or an employer can need the license there — check your state's rules before you take it.
Sales tax on hardware and, in some states, on IT services — In the US hardware you resell is taxable in states with a sales tax, and some states tax services too: Texas taxes data processing (80% of the charge) and repairs of personal property, while California generally doesn't tax itemized repair labor, only the parts. Confirm with your state's revenue department and an accountant before you set prices.
A HIPAA business associate agreement for medical clients — In the US the Department of Health and Human Services names a managed services provider whose support work requires it to create, receive, maintain or transmit a medical practice's electronic patient information as an example of a HIPAA business associate: you sign a business associate agreement and are directly liable for parts of the HIPAA rules. Tax preparers and other financial firms are covered by the FTC Safeguards Rule, which requires their contracts to spell out security expectations for providers like you.
Technology E&O, cyber and general liability insurance — In the US no law requires them, but clients' contracts may ask for tech E&O, and a missed backup or a breach through your remote tools can reach every client at once. Most states require workers' compensation once you hire — California even for one employee — while Texas leaves it optional for most private employers.

Milestones: the next 30 days

The first month's to-do list for Clearpath Office IT, in order:

Pick the offices you'll serve — one industry, one size — and the tools you'll standardize them on
Register the business, take the free EIN and open a business bank account
Write your managed services agreement: per-user price, response times, what's included and who is responsible for what
Get quotes for technology E&O, cyber and general liability, and lock down your own tools with multi-factor authentication
Set up monitoring, ticketing and documentation tools, and join the Microsoft partner program
Set up a free Google Business Profile and put your website live with your plans, your response times and a contact form
Tell everyone you've worked with what you now do, and ask them to pass your name on
Turn every break/fix job into a conversation about a monthly agreement, and ask for a Google review

Appendix: what a lender will ask for

This plan tells the story and shows the numbers. If you take it to a bank, expect to be asked for these documents as well:

Two years of personal tax returns and a personal financial statement
A month-by-month 12-month cash-flow projection built from users under management and break/fix hours
Signed managed services agreements or letters of intent from your first clients
Your certifications, experience and references from past employers or clients
Proof of technology E&O and cyber insurance, and business registration
Your credit report

Every figure in Clearpath Office IT's plan is a typical US range from the tables above or arithmetic on the sample's own startup list and $7,200 monthly sales target — nothing is a market projection. The template downloads above are the same plan with [bracketed] lines for your own business.

Step two

Turn this plan into a website

Add your name and your city to the line, and Zarla builds the website with your services in place. You edit the rest in chat.

Or download the free template (Word)

Keep going

The plan is the thinking. These are the next pieces for an IT consulting business:

IT consulting business plan FAQ

How much does it cost to start an IT consulting business?

Typically $2,706–$10,785 in the US, counting every required line in the table above. The range is wide because the biggest items (working capital; insurance) depend on what you already have and where you are. The free generator turns the table into your own list with your own figures.

How much can an IT consulting business make?

$50–$100 the most common monthly price per user among MSPs that charge per user, in Kaseya's 2024 survey of 984 MSPs; $101–$200/hr what 63% of the 984 MSPs in the same survey charged for break/fix work by the hour; $61,860 the 2025 US median for computer user support specialists (O*NET) — what a help-desk technician you hire expects ($76,220 for network support). An IT services business earns in two ways. Managed agreements pay a fixed price every month — per user, per device or a mix — for monitoring, support, patching and backups, and they are the business: predictable, and more profitable the fewer problems the clients have. Break/fix work pays by the hour when something goes wrong, which is how many new providers start and how many first clients are won. In Kaseya's 2024 survey of 984 MSPs (a software vendor's survey, taken in November 2023), the most common per-user price was $50 to $100 a month, 51% of all respondents charged $150 or less per user, and 63% charged $101 to $200 an hour for break/fix; MSPs' own 2026 price guides quote $100 to $250 a user for full-service plans. Profit isn't guaranteed: in Kaseya's 2026 report, the share of MSPs not yet profitable on managed services doubled to 10%, and 71% put acquiring new customers among their top three issues — more than any other. No public survey reports what a one-person IT business owner takes home. A computer repair shop runs on the same numbers with a counter and more walk-in work — shops' own recent price pages show $50 to $75 diagnostic fees credited to the repair — and pays less: computer, ATM and office machine repairers earned a 2025 median of $47,810 employed (O*NET). About 60 users at around $120 a month is about $7,200 of monthly agreements; the client licenses and your tools come out of it, and what the owner keeps depends on how many hours each client takes.

What licenses and permits do I need to start an IT consulting business in the US?

Business registration, EIN and a local business license; a low-voltage, cabling or alarm license where your state requires one; private investigator rules for data searches, in Texas; sales tax on hardware and, in some states, on IT services; a HIPAA business associate agreement for medical clients; and technology E&O, cyber and general liability insurance. Rules vary by state and city — confirm each item with your local licensing office and an accountant before you spend on it.

Do I need a business plan to start an IT consulting business?

You need the thinking more than the document: what you'll offer, who pays, what it costs to start, what it costs to run each month and how long the budget takes to recover. A lender, a landlord or an investor will ask for the document — and for things beyond it: two years of personal tax returns and a personal financial statement; a month-by-month 12-month cash-flow projection built from users under management and break/fix hours. The sample plan above has every section; the generator writes yours from five questions.

Can I turn this business plan into a website?

Yes — that's the point. Your plan's own marketing section says people will find you on Google and through word of mouth; a website is how both happen. Zarla builds your IT consulting business website from what you've already told us — free to build, pay when you publish.

Is there a free IT consulting business plan template?

Yes. The IT consulting business plan template on this page downloads free as a Word document or a PDF — no email, no sign-up. It's the complete plan for a placeholder business with [bracketed] lines to fill in, and the typical figures for an IT consulting business already in the tables. The generator writes the same plan with your own name, city, services and numbers in five questions.

What should an IT consulting business plan include?

The sections a lender, a landlord or an investor expects: an executive summary, products and services, market analysis, marketing strategy, an operations plan, startup costs, a financial plan, the risks, licenses and permits, milestones and an appendix. Clearpath Office IT's sample plan above has all eleven, and the section-by-section notes explain what goes in each one for an IT consulting business.