How much should I charge my boss for these random door and handyman repairs?

Since you are dealing with your boss, you want a number that covers your time and gas without making it feel like a professional invoice they'd get from a licensed GC. For a 'friends and family' rate on general handyman tasks like patching plaster and fixing electrical housing, $50 an hour is usually the sweet spot. It is high enough that you aren't being taken advantage of, but low enough that they know they are getting a massive deal compared to the $125+ an hour a pro woud charge just to show up.

Another way to handle it is a flat day rate. If you spent the whole Saturday there, just tell them $200 or $250 for the day plus whatever you spent on **materials** like the hot mud and electrical connectors. It makes the math easy for everyone. When you go back to finish the trim, keep a simple log of those hours too. If the trim work requires specialized tools or more precision than the mudding, you could bump that portion up slightly, but staying consistent is usually better for office politics.

I’ve done similar work for people I know and I always insist on a **Time and Materials** (T&M) approach. Even if you don't want to make a profit, getting reimbursed for the specific grit of sandpaper or the tube of caulk you used is important. It sets a boundary that your hobby still has overhead costs. If they keep pushing to pay you more because they’re impressed with the quality, don't fight them too hard on it. If they want to throw you an extra hundred bucks because you saved them from a potential house fire with that ceiling fan wiring, just take it. But starting at that $50/hour mark keeps you helpful without looking like you're trying to moonight as a high-priced contractor on thier dime.

Since you’re heading back for trim work, keep an eye on those old door slabs. If they’re as beat up as the plaster was, suggest he just swaps them for some Jeld-Wen molded interior doors. They’re light, look clean with new trim, and you can get them pre-primed wich saves you a ton of painting time. I’d stick to the $50 an hour suggestion, but definitly add a small fee if he asks for your help picking out materials. I once did a similar gig and spent more time at the hardware store than acutally swinging a hammer. If you're doing the install, those Jeld-Wen units make the job move way faster than trying to plane down 70-year-old wood.

Have you ruled out just asking for a trade instead of cash? Since it's your boss, taking money can get wierd if that plaster patch cracks in six months. Also, regarding that trim you're finishing—did you check if the door frames are acutally plumb? If the house is 70 years old, I’d bet those openings are sagging. You might think you're just nailing on casing, but you coud end up fighting a door that won't latch anymore once you move the stops. I'd be careful about pricing a flat rate before you see how much 'adjusting' those old doors realy need.

Fifty an hour is fine for side work, but don't sell yourself short on that plaster. Back in my day, we'd use wood lath and a brown coat before even touching the finish, so you're alredy saving him a headache using hot mud. If those old doors are binding because the house settled, don't just plane the tops like a rookie. Take a look at the hinges first; sometimes a longer screw driven into the framing will pull the whole jamb back where it belongs. I've spent forty years chasing gaps on old builds and a stout screw ussually beats a hand plane any day.