Calculate profitable service prices for any job. Enter costs, set your margin, and quote with confidence. Learn more
Calculate profitable service prices for any job. Enter costs, set your margin, and quote with confidence.
Materials
Overhead
Profit target
Your price will appear here, please add:
You set the price. Workiz handles the rest — scheduling, dispatching, invoicing, and payments, all in one place.
Pricing a job too low means you work harder for less, while pricing it too high means losing the bid. The right price covers every dollar you spend and leaves a profit that makes the work worth doing. This calculator walks you through the full cost-plus pricing formula that successful contractors use.
Here is what the calculator accounts for:
The result is a professional service price that ensures every cost is covered while keeping your profit margin exactly where it needs to be for long-term growth.
Here is how a plumbing company might price a water heater installation using cost-plus pricing:
| Labor | 2 workers × 4 hrs × $35/hr = $280 |
| Materials | $150 |
| Overhead | $75 |
| Total cost | $505 |
| Profit (20% margin) | +$126 |
| Service price | $631 |
The 20% profit margin means $126 stays in the business after labor, materials, and overhead are covered. The markup on cost is 25% ($126 ÷ $505).
Most field service companies aim for a 15-25% net profit margin. A 20% margin is a solid starting point that covers unexpected job costs and allows for business growth. If your pricing consistently leaves you below 10%, you are likely not accounting for all your overhead.
Markup is the percentage added to your cost to reach a selling price. Margin is the percentage of the final selling price that is profit. For example, a 25% markup on a $400 cost results in a $500 price, which is a 20% margin. They are not the same number — confusing them is one of the most common pricing mistakes.
Yes. If you only price for labor and materials, you are paying your overhead out of what you think is profit. Insurance, rent, vehicle costs, and software all need to be baked into every job price.
Add up all monthly business costs (excluding direct labor and materials). Divide that total by the number of billable hours your team works in a month to get an hourly overhead rate. Then multiply by the duration of the specific job.
Review your prices at least twice a year. Material costs, fuel prices, insurance rates, and wages all change. If your costs went up but your prices did not, your profit margin is shrinking without you noticing.