Today

An overflowing toilet. Stop the water in the next ten seconds.

The water stops the moment the fill stops. After that it is a clog, and most clogs are cleared the same day.

Lift the tank lid and push the flapper (the rubber disc at the bottom) down with your hand. Then turn the small valve on the wall behind the toilet clockwise until it stops.

What is probably happening

A clog in the toilet trap, so the flush has nowhere to go.
If other fixtures in the house are backing up too, the problem is the main line, not this toilet. Go to the sewer backup answer.
Toilet water that has been flushed is Category 3 water and is treated as sewage.

Do this in the next five minutes

Push the flapper down inside the tank. That stops the bowl filling immediately.
Turn the supply valve on the wall behind the toilet clockwise until closed. Angi: if there is no valve, hold the float up so the tank cannot refill.
Mop up with towels you can throw away, or a wet vac. Keep kids and pets out of the room.
Once the bowl level drops, plunge with a flange plunger, slow steady strokes, until it drains.
Wash hands and any skin that touched the water. Disinfect the floor.

Do not

Do not flush again to see if it cleared. That is how a puddle becomes a flooded floor.
Do not pour chemical drain cleaner into a toilet. It does not clear solids and it burns whoever plunges next.
Do not use a metal coat hanger. It scratches porcelain and does not reach the trap.

Who to call

A licensed plumber

A plumber has a closet auger that reaches past the trap without damaging the bowl. If the main line is involved, the same call covers it.

Also: Water damage. If sewage water soaked carpet, drywall or a ceiling below, call restoration. It is Category 3 water. Questions for that call ›

Get a free shortlist The seven questions for this trade

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What it should cost

$85 to $600

Clearing a toilet clog, national range. Toilet repair overall averages $271 ($150 to $391)

Source: Angi, toilet repair cost, updated July 2026. View source

National published range, not a quote for your job. The full cost table for this trade is on the plumbing page.

Ask this contractor, on the phone, before anyone comes out

Tap each one as you ask it.

Will you auger the toilet first, or go straight to pulling it? What changes the answer?
If it does not clear, what is the next step and its price?
Will you run a camera if this has happened more than once?
Does the price include resetting the toilet with a new wax ring if you have to pull it?

End the call if

A quote for a new toilet before anyone has augered this one.
A recommendation to jet the main line when only this toilet is affected.
Anyone who does not ask if other drains are backing up.

Insurance. Most homeowners policies cover sudden and accidental water damage and the Texas Department of Insurance lists a toilet overflow as an example. Sewer backup from the main line usually needs a separate endorsement.

Where this comes from

Not my problem, tap through instead Every plumbing answer