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Job cost and profit calculator

Add up what one job really cost — materials, loaded labor, subs, fees and its share of overhead and the truck — and see what it made, what it needed to break even, and what to bid next time.

Job cost (management view)

Example job: $1,100 of materials and 4 labor hours, costed with the example shop’s $66.07 labor and $46.61 overhead + truck per billable hour. Change any number.

Net job profitExample job

Net job profit $749.28, 31.22% of the price; break-even price $1,650.72.

Price $2,400.00 − total job cost $1,650.72

See it drawn to scale
Job cost build-upDrawn to scale: every dollar the same height
Job cost build-up for the example job, drawn to scaleColumn from $0, drawn to scale: materials $1,100.00, labor $264.28, subs, permits and disposal $100.00, overhead and truck $186.44; total job cost $1,650.72 (red break-even line). Price $2,400.00: net profit $749.28.12345$0Direct cost$1,464.28Break-even$1,650.72Price$2,400.00
  1. Materialsat what you paid$1,100.00
  2. Labor4 h × $66.07$264.28
  3. Subs and feespermit $75, disposal $25$100.00
  4. Overhead + truck4 h × $46.61$186.44
  5. Net profit31.22% of the price$749.28
Direct cost
$1,464.28materials, labor, subs, fees
Overhead + truck
$186.444 h × $46.61
Total job cost
$1,650.72= the break-even price
Gross margin
38.99%before overhead
Net margin
31.22%after overhead
Markup on cost
45.39%on total job cost
Break-even
$1,650.72price = total cost
Gross profit
$935.7238.99% of the price
At 10% net
$1,834.13price to bid

$2,400.00 − $1,650.72 = $749.28 31.22% of the price

Already showing the example.

Materials include any sales tax you paid when you bought them; nothing is added to the customer’s bill.

This is a management view of one job, not how its costs are classified for taxes. Ask your accountant how to report them.

What moves this job

  • One more labor hour costs $112.68 (labor + overhead) and leaves $636.60 net, 26.53%.
  • The job breaks even at 10.65 labor hours — 6.65 h more than it took.

Change the numbers

The job

What you paid, including any sales tax you paid when you bought them.

Billable hours the job took, all techs together.

Subs, permits and disposal$100

What you paid subs on this job. 0 if none.

Set by your city or county. The $75 is an example.

Dump fees and hauling. The $25 is an example.

Equipment rental and anything else bought for this job.

Your costs per billable hour$66.07 + $46.61

Per billable hour, not the wage: pay, taxes, benefits and unbillable time. Example shop: $66.07 from the labor rate calculator.

Per billable hour. Example shop: $32.87 + $13.74 truck. Costing trucks per job? Leave the truck part out.

Cost of one labor hour$112.68labor + overhead + truck
The price

What you charged for the job, without any sales tax you collected.

For “price for a target margin”. Profit after overhead, as a share of the price.

Sales taxpaid on materials
How does sales tax work on this job?

It depends on your state, the contract type and the item — there is no national rule.

Net job profit: $749.28 (31.22%) · break-even $1,650.72. Back to the result

How the math works

A job pays for its own materials, labor and fees first; then it has to carry its share of the shop’s overhead and truck for the hours it used. What is left is the job’s net profit.

  1. Labor costlabor hours × loaded labor cost per billable hourExample: 4 h × $66.07 = $264.28. Not the wage: only billable hours can be charged to jobs, so unbillable time rides on them.
  2. Direct costmaterials + labor + subs + permits + disposal + otherExample: $1,464.28. A management (job-cost) view, not the Schedule C classification.
  3. Gross profitprice − direct costExample: $935.72, 38.99% of the price.
  4. Overhead + trucklabor hours × (overhead + truck) per billable hourExample: 4 h × $46.61 = $186.44.
  5. Break-even pricedirect cost + overhead + truck = $1,650.72The total job cost: where total cost equals revenue (SBA’s break-even definition).
  6. Net job profitprice − total job cost = $749.28Net margin 31.22%; markup on total cost 45.39%.
  7. Price for a target margintotal job cost ÷ (1 − target net margin)Example at 10%: $1,650.72 ÷ 0.90 = $1,834.13.
  8. Sales tax collectedtaxable amount × your rateShown as a pass-through line, outside the job’s price: collecting it changes no profit or margin here. How it is treated for income tax depends on how your state imposes it — ask your accountant.

Where the example numbers come from

Loaded labor cost
$66.07 per billable hourLabor rate calculator, example shop: BLS median plumber wage, IRS and DOL payroll taxes, BLS benefits, 65% billable (site arithmetic)
Overhead + truck
$32.87 + $13.74 = $46.61 per billable hourLabor rate calculator: $120,000 overhead for 3 techs (an editorial example) and the AAA 2026 ½-ton pickup
Permit
$75Example only. Angi lists plumbing permit fees of $75–$100 (consumer cost guide); permits are set by each city or county
Disposal
$25Editorial example for a small item; no source gives a typical trade dump fee
Materials, hours, price
$1,100 · 4 h · $2,400Editorial example: no claim about market prices
Sales tax rate
NoneState and local rates vary; enter your own combined rate

Before you use the number

  • Sales tax depends on your state, the contract type and the item. In at least four of the six states read, a contractor installing materials into real property generally pays tax when buying them — but the answer flips for fixtures in California, separated or nonresidential contracts in Texas, repair services in New York and all custom construction in Washington. Ask your state revenue department or a tax professional.
  • Collected sales tax is not your money and is never counted as revenue or profit here. How it is treated for income tax depends on how your state imposes it — ask your accountant.
  • Labor here is cost per billable hour, not the wage. With the example shop, the wage ($30.67) understates labor cost by more than half: it leaves out taxes, insurance, benefits, paid time off and unbillable time.
  • Overhead per hour is an average. A job that ties up the truck or the office far more than its labor hours suggest (permits, inspections, long drives) costs more than the average.
  • A positive gross margin can still be a loss once overhead is counted: the same job at $1,600 has an 8.48% gross margin and a net loss of $50.72.
  • Not for tax filing or accounting records. Direct cost here is a management view; IRS Publication 334 says labor is usually part of cost of goods sold only in manufacturing or mining.

Sources

Opened and checked October 4, 2026 (the Florida rule on October 24, 2026). The worked example is the site’s own arithmetic.

  1. Schedule C (Form 1040) 2025, Profit or Loss From BusinessInternal Revenue Service
  2. Publication 334 (2025), Tax Guide for Small BusinessInternal Revenue Service
  3. Plan your business: calculate your startup costs (break-even point)U.S. Small Business Administration
  4. Contractor FAQsGeorgia Department of Revenue
  5. Real Property Repair and Remodeling (Publication 94-116)Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
  6. Rule 12A-1.051, Sales to or by Contractors Who Repair, Alter, Improve and Construct Real PropertyFlorida Department of Revenue (Florida Administrative Code)
  7. Construction and Building Contractors (Publication 9, February 2025)California Department of Tax and Fee Administration
  8. Custom constructionWashington State Department of Revenue
  9. Contractors/repair personsNew York State Department of Taxation and Finance
  10. How Much Does Plumbing Repair Cost? (updated March 17, 2026)Angi (consumer cost guide)

  • 1.12Guide

    Job Costing a Plumbing Job, Worked Start to Finish

    A plumbing job costed line by line: materials, loaded labor, overhead, sub, permit and disposal, then gross profit, net margin and profit per hour.

    $3,450.00 − $3,233.55 = $216.45

    Length
    6 min
    Updated

  • 1.03In-depth guide

    Markup vs Margin for Contractors: Formulas and Table

    Markup is on cost, margin is on price. Formulas, a conversion table, the classic mistakes and a water heater swap with labor, parts, tax and card fees.

    $250 ÷ (1 − 0.35) = $384.62

    Length
    11 min
    Updated

Tools for the job

Tool listCross-trade + Office4 itemsSpecs read

As an Amazon Associate, Trade Price Book earns from qualifying purchases. Amazon links are marked “(paid link)”; prices aren’t shown here.

  1. Laser distance metersLeica Geosystems DISTO X4

    Leica DISTO X4

    • Pointfinder camera for targeting distant points in bright sunlight.

    Specs: Leica Geosystems product page, read

    Search on Amazon for Leica Geosystems DISTO X4(paid link)

  2. Laser distance metersBosch GLM400CL

    BLAZE Outdoor 400 Ft. Connected Lithium-Ion Laser Measure with Camera

    • Range up to 400 ft with accuracy up to ±1/16 in.

    Specs: Bosch product page, read

    View on Amazon for Bosch GLM400CL(paid link)

  3. Rugged tablets and mobile printersSamsung SM-X308U

    Galaxy Tab Active5 5G (U.S., unlocked)

    • 8.0 in. WUXGA display up to 120 Hz that works with gloves or when wet; Exynos 1380 processor.

    Specs: Samsung product page, read

    View on Amazon for Samsung SM-X308U(paid link)

  4. Rugged tablets and mobile printersBrother PJ-883

    PocketJet PJ-883 Wi-Fi & Bluetooth Mobile Printer

    • Full-page 8.5 in. wide thermal printing at 300 dpi, up to 3 in. per second.

    Specs: Brother product page, read

    View on Amazon for Brother PJ-883(paid link)

How tools are chosen for gear listsAll 12 cross-trade tools