Free tool · Pricing
What should you quote this job?
Add up the job’s costs and this works out the price to quote to hit your margin — with contingency built in, the markup-vs-margin trap handled, and a check that flags when a quote is too low. Tailored to your trade. No sign-up to see your result.
Job and quote margin calculator
This job
Not sure of your labour cost? Work out your true cost per hour.
Margin, not markup. A 20% margin means 20% of the price is profit — that’s a 25% markup on what the job costs you. Most owners under-quote by confusing the two.
Quote this job at
$12,469
for a 20% margin
- Total job cost
- $9,975
- Your profit
- $2,494
- Markup on cost
- 25%
Typical general / other jobs target 15%–30% margin. Yours sits right in the healthy range.
Quoting jobs that don’t leave enough behind?
An estimate to guide your quoting, not financial advice. Figures are GST-exclusive. Typical ranges are a guide, not a guarantee.
Questions
Pricing, the right way.
What's the difference between markup and margin?
Margin is profit as a percentage of the price you charge; markup is profit as a percentage of what the job costs you. A 25% margin is a 33% markup. Tradies lose money by confusing the two — adding 25% markup to cost only leaves a 20% margin. This calculator works in margin and shows the equivalent markup so you can see both.
What's a healthy margin for a trade job?
It varies by trade and job type, but most trade and service businesses should target somewhere between 15% and 30% net margin per job after all costs. Materials-heavy work like building tends to run thinner; labour-heavy service work can carry more. The calculator shows a typical range for your trade as a guide.
Why include a contingency?
Because jobs change. Variations, access problems, weather, and scope creep eat the margin you priced in. A small contingency (often 5–10%) built into the cost is the difference between a quote that's still profitable at handover and one that isn't.
Should I include my own labour and overheads?
Yes. Your time is a real cost — price it at your true cost per hour, not zero (use our charge-out rate calculator to work that out). Overheads should be recovered too; if they're not in a separate line, load them into your labour rate or as 'other costs'.
Are these prices GST inclusive?
No. All figures are exclusive of GST. Add GST on top when you present the quote.
A price is a decision
The number is easy. Holding the line is the hard part.
Book a thirty-minute pricing call. We’ll look at how you quote, where margin leaks, and how to lift your prices without losing the work, whether or not you work with us.