The typical dishwasher repair cost lands between $150 and $400, with most homeowners paying around $200 once parts and labor are combined. A quick fix like a clogged drain hose or a worn door gasket can come in under $100, while a failed control board or circulation pump can push the bill past $500. Where your repair falls depends on the part, your dishwasher’s brand tier, and whether you catch the problem early or wait until water is on the floor.
Below is a breakdown of what real repairs cost by problem, the factors that move the price, and the simple math for deciding whether to fix the machine or replace it. Numbers here reflect a professional service call — if you’re handy, many of these are DIY jobs at just the parts price.
Dishwasher Repair Cost by Problem
Here’s what you’ll typically pay, parts and labor combined, for the most common failures:
- Won’t drain (clogged hose/filter): $100-$250
- Drain pump replacement: $150-$350
- Circulation/wash pump replacement: $250-$550
- Door gasket/seal (leak): $100-$200
- Door latch or spring: $100-$250
- Water inlet valve (won’t fill or won’t stop): $150-$300
- Heating element (won’t dry/heat): $150-$300
- Control board / electronic control: $250-$600
- Float switch or thermistor: $100-$250
- Spray arm replacement: $100-$200
- Detergent dispenser: $100-$250
Notice the pattern: mechanical wear parts (gaskets, hoses, spray arms) sit at the low end, pumps in the middle, and electronics at the top. A leak or a drainage problem is usually cheap. A dead control board is where repair costs start rivaling replacement.
How the Bill Breaks Down: Parts vs. Labor
Every professional repair is two costs stacked together. Understanding the split helps you judge whether a quote is fair:
- Diagnostic/service call fee: $75-$150. Most shops charge a flat fee to come out and diagnose, and many apply it toward the repair if you approve the work.
- Labor rate: $50-$150 per hour, or a flat per-job rate. Most repairs take 30 minutes to 2 hours.
- Parts: $10-$300 depending on the component. A gasket is $20-$55; a drain pump is $50-$130; a control board is $80-$250.
So a drain-pump job might be a $100 service/labor charge plus an $80 pump — roughly $180 all in. That two-part structure is why a “small” repair rarely costs less than $100: the truck showing up has a price of its own.
What Drives the Price Up or Down
Two identical failures can carry very different bills. These factors explain the spread:
- Brand tier. Repairs on premium brands — Miele, Bosch, Cove, Thermador, Fisher & Paykel — cost more because parts are proprietary and pricier. A control board that’s $150 for a mid-range Whirlpool can be $350-plus for a luxury unit.
- Part cost and availability. Common parts are cheap and stocked; a backordered board for an older or discontinued model runs up both the price and the wait.
- Labor difficulty. A filter or gasket is quick. A circulation pump buried behind the tub, or a control board that requires pulling the machine and dismantling the door, eats an hour or more of labor.
- Your location. Urban and coastal metros run $100-$150/hour; rural and lower-cost regions run $50-$90.
- Emergency or after-hours service. Weekend or same-day calls add $50-$150.
- Multiple failures. An old machine often needs a pump and a valve at once, and small parts add up fast on a unit that’s wearing out everywhere.
The Repairs Worth Doing Yourself
Before you pay for a service call, know that several common problems are genuine DIY jobs at just the parts cost. Always cut the power at the breaker and shut the water supply valve under the sink first — a dishwasher runs on 120 volts and holds standing water, so working on it live is a real hazard.
- Clogged filter: free — twist it out and rinse. Fixes a huge share of “not cleaning” and drainage complaints.
- Clogged or kinked drain hose: $15-$40 for a hose; flushing the old one is free.
- Door gasket: $20-$55, presses into place with no tools.
- Rack wheels and tine clips: $8-$25, snap on by hand.
- Spray arm: $25-$75, unclips and replaces in minutes.
Do those five yourself and you skip the $75-$150 service fee entirely. Leave the control boards, inlet valves, and pump wiring to a pro unless you’re comfortable with a multimeter and wiring diagrams.
Repair vs. Replace: The Real Math
The old rule still works: if the repair costs more than half the price of a comparable new dishwasher, replace it. A solid new mid-range dishwasher runs $500-$900 installed, and premium units run $1,200-$2,500. So:
- Repair it when the machine is under 7-8 years old and the fix is under $300. A $180 pump on a 4-year-old dishwasher is an easy yes.
- Think hard when a repair hits $300-$400 on a machine 7-plus years old, or when it needs two parts at once.
- Replace it when a $400-$600 control board dies on a 9-year-old unit, when repairs keep stacking up, or when the tub itself is cracked or badly rusted.
Most dishwashers last 9 to 13 years. A single big-ticket repair on a machine near the end of that window rarely pays off — you’re putting a $500 board into an appliance that may need a pump next year. Age plus repair cost, weighed against a $700 replacement, tells you almost everything.
Cost by Brand Tier
The same broken pump costs very different money depending on the badge on the door. It’s worth knowing where your machine sits before a quote surprises you:
- Budget brands (Frigidaire, Amana, Hotpoint): lowest parts cost, but thinner construction means repairs come sooner and replacement is often the smarter call by year 6.
- Mid-range (Whirlpool, KitchenAid, GE, Maytag, Samsung, LG): the sweet spot for repairs — parts are widely stocked and reasonably priced, and a $150-$300 fix on a 5-year-old unit makes sense.
- Premium (Bosch, Miele, Cove, Thermador, Fisher & Paykel): highest parts and labor cost, but these machines are built to last 15-20 years, so a $400 repair on a 10-year-old Miele can still be the right move. Proprietary parts and certified-only service push both the price and the wait higher.
A control board is the clearest example: roughly $150 installed on a mid-range unit, and $350 or more on a luxury one. Factor the tier in before you assume a quote is padded.
Warranty and Insurance: Check Before You Pay
Before approving any repair, confirm what you might not have to pay for. Manufacturer warranties typically run one year on parts and labor, with some brands covering specific components — racks, electronics, or the tub — for longer. Premium brands often carry two years or more. If the machine is still covered, an out-of-pocket repair is money thrown away, and using a non-authorized tech can void the remaining coverage. Also check whether a home warranty plan or an extended protection plan from the retailer applies; those usually cost a flat service fee (often $75-$125) and cover the rest. Five minutes checking your paperwork can turn a $300 repair into a $0 one.
How to Keep Repair Costs Down
The cheapest repair is the one you prevent. A few habits keep these machines out of the shop:
- Rinse the filter monthly. A clean filter prevents most drainage and cleaning failures — the number-one reason for service calls.
- Run a cleaning cycle with dishwasher cleaner or a cup of vinegar monthly to clear grease and scale from spray arms and the pump.
- Scrape, don’t pre-rinse to death. Bones, pits, and glass shards jam pumps and choppers — the expensive parts.
- Use rinse aid to cut hard-water scale that clogs jets over time.
- Don’t slam or overload racks, which cracks tines and bends the door out of seal.
Getting an Honest Quote
When you call for service, give the brand, model number, and a clear description of the symptom — “won’t drain, standing water in the bottom” — so the tech can bring the likely part on the first visit and skip a second trip charge. Ask whether the diagnostic fee applies toward the repair, and get the parts-versus-labor breakdown in writing. For anything over $300 on an older machine, get a second quote and price a comparable new unit before you commit.
Budget $150 to $400 for a typical dishwasher repair cost, knowing that a simple leak or clog sits well under that and a control board sits well above it. Catch problems early, handle the easy fixes yourself, and run the repair-versus-replace math honestly against the machine’s age — do that and you’ll never overpay to keep a dishwasher running, or throw good money at one that’s already done.
