If you've ever Googled this question, you've probably noticed something frustrating: almost nobody gives you a straight answer. Every page says "it depends" and then asks you to book a call.

It does depend — but you deserve real numbers first. So here they are, based on what businesses actually pay in 2026.

The three ways IT support gets priced

1. Break-fix (pay when it breaks)

You call someone when something's wrong, and you pay by the hour — typically $100–$175/hour. It feels cheap because you only pay when there's a problem.

The catch: nobody is preventing the problems. There's no monitoring, no patching schedule, no backup verification. You find out your backups don't work on the day you need them. Break-fix is fine for a two-person office. Past about 10 employees, it usually costs more per year than managed support — just in unpredictable, painful chunks.

2. Managed IT (a flat monthly fee)

This is what most growing businesses move to. A managed service provider (MSP) handles everything for a predictable monthly price, usually billed per user or per device.

Typical 2026 pricing:

  • Basic monitoring and support: $75–$110 per user/month
  • Full-service (support, security, backups, updates, vendor management): $110–$175 per user/month
  • Premium / white-glove (fast response, after-hours coverage, executive support): $175–$250+ per user/month

So a 15-person company should expect roughly $1,500–$2,500/month for solid full-service coverage. A 30-person, multi-location business is more like $3,500–$6,000/month.

3. In-house IT (hiring someone)

A full-time IT person costs $60,000–$90,000+ per year plus benefits — and one person can't be an expert in networking, security, cloud, and every application you use, and they take vacations. Most businesses under 75–100 employees get more coverage for less money from an MSP.

What should be included in a managed IT agreement

If you're comparing quotes, make sure these are actually in scope — this is where cheap contracts hide their gaps:

  • Help desk support with a defined response time
  • Proactive monitoring of servers, network, and workstations
  • Windows and software updates, handled for you
  • Backups that are tested — not just running
  • Endpoint security / antivirus (ideally EDR, not just basic AV)
  • Email security and spam filtering
  • Employee onboarding and offboarding
  • Vendor management (your internet provider, phone system, printers — one call, not five)

Ask specifically: "What's not included?" Projects, after-hours work, and on-site visits are common add-ons. A good provider will tell you plainly.

Red flags when shopping for IT support

  • No mention of backups or testing them. This is the single most important thing an IT provider does.
  • "Unlimited support" with no response-time commitment. Unlimited means nothing if they answer in three days.
  • They can't explain their security stack. In 2026, "we install antivirus" is not a security plan.
  • Long contracts with no exit clause. Confident providers don't need to trap you.

The honest bottom line

For most small businesses, good managed IT costs about the price of half an employee — and replaces the downtime, security risk, and "who do we even call?" chaos that quietly costs far more.

If you're currently on break-fix, add up what you spent on IT emergencies last year, then add the cost of the downtime itself. For most businesses past 10 employees, the math points the same direction.