Free calculator
Job / Service Pricing Calculator
Work out what to charge for a job from what it actually costs you — your own time, staff labour, materials and other costs — and the margin you want to keep. Get an itemised summary you can copy or print.
What should I charge for this job?
Leave empty if none
Share of the price left after included costs
Fuel, parking, travel time not counted as labour
Equipment hire, permits, disposal
Part of rent, vehicle, insurance and software this job should carry
Percent of direct costs, for the unexpected
Prices exclude sales tax. Nothing is saved or sent.
Result
Enter your costs and margin
The formula
Labour = total person-hours × cost per person-hour (for each line)Included cost = labour + materials + other direct costs + overhead + contingencySelling price = included cost ÷ (1 − target margin)Margin is the share of the selling price (before sales tax) left after the included costs. A 25% margin on $375 of costs is not $375 + 25%: it is 375 ÷ 0.75 = $500, because $125 is 25% of $500.
Worked example
A job takes 4 hours of your own time at $35 an hour and 4 hours of staff time at $15 an hour: $200 of labour. Add $100 of materials, $25 of travel and a $50 share of overhead and the included cost is $375.
At a 25% margin the selling price is 375 ÷ 0.75 = $500, leaving $125 after the included costs. Any sales tax is added on top.
What the result means — and what it does not
- The price covers only the costs you entered. Leave out a cost and the margin you keep is smaller than it looks.
- Contingency is a buffer for the unexpected. It raises the price; if the job goes to plan, it becomes extra margin.
- It is not a market rate. Whether a customer accepts the price depends on your market, your offer and your competitors.
- Keep the internal summary to yourself: it shows your costs and margin. Quote customers the selling price only.
Common questions
What is the difference between my labour cost and the rate I charge?
Labour cost is what an hour costs your business: wages, plus employer taxes and insurance if you include them. The rate a customer pays has to cover that cost and also materials, overhead and your margin. Enter cost here; the calculator shows the selling price, and the price per labour hour, separately.
How do I enter a crew?
Enter total person-hours. Two people working four hours is 8 person-hours. The calculator multiplies hours by cost per hour once, so do not also multiply by the number of people.
What should I count as overhead?
A fair share of costs you pay whether or not you do this job — vehicle, insurance, rent, software, phone. A simple way: monthly overhead divided by the jobs or billable hours in a month. If your hourly cost already includes an overhead share, choose that option and the separate overhead field disappears so it is not counted twice.
Should I include my own time if I do not pay myself a wage?
Yes. If your hour costs nothing in the calculation, the price only works while you work for free. Enter what you need to earn per hour for the business to be worth running.