Job Costing and Overhead Calculator
Find your overhead rate, then add it to a job's labor, materials and subs to see what the job really costs you and how much profit is left at your price. Every number is yours; nothing is filled in for you.
Calculator
How to use it
- Yearly overhead: what the business spends that isn't billed to one job, like rent, truck payments, insurance, office staff, software, phone and advertising. Last year's books are the best source.
- Spread it over: pick labor hours if your work is mostly labor, or direct costs if materials and subs are a big part of most jobs. Then enter last year's total for whichever you picked.
- Labor cost per hour: wage plus payroll taxes and workers' comp. The labor burden calculator works this out.
- Price: add your quote price to see profit and margin on the job.
How the job cost is worked out
Overhead rate = yearly overhead ÷ yearly labor hours (or ÷ yearly direct costs). Direct cost = labor hours × labor cost per hour + materials + subs + equipment + other. The job's overhead share is the rate times this job's labor hours (or times its direct cost). Full job cost = direct cost + overhead share.
Profit = price − full job cost, and margin = profit ÷ price. To set a price from a target margin, use the markup vs margin calculator. Put the result on a general contractor quote template.
Questions
Why aren't there any default numbers?
Overhead and costs are different for every business, and a made-up starting number can end up in a real quote. Use your own figures.
Is anything I type saved or sent?
No. The math runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.
Templates and calculators are for general use only and are not legal, tax or accounting advice.