Contractor Bid & Job Cost Calculator
Price a job the right way. Enter labor, materials, subs, and overhead, set your target margin, and get a recommended bid price, gross profit, and the markup it implies.
Example: with Labor hours 80 hrs · Labor rate 35 $/hr · Labor burden 35% · Materials $4,000 → Recommended bid: $15,275.
- Total job cost$12,220
- Gross profit$3,055
- Markup required25.0%
Computed by the calculator below using its default values. Change any input to see your own numbers.
Bid = cost + profit
How you compare
Bid summary
Margin is not markup
A common way contractors lose money is confusing margin and markup. A 20% margin requires a 25% markup on cost, not 20%. This calculator loads labor with its burden (taxes, insurance, workers' comp), adds overhead and contingency, then prices to your target margin — and shows the markup that implies so you can sanity-check your bid.
How it’s calculated
Labor × (1 + burden) + materials + subs + permits, × (1 + overhead) × (1 + contingency) = cost. Bid = cost ÷ (1 − margin).
Results update as you type and are estimates, not professional advice — verify important decisions with a qualified professional.
Common mistakes
- Confusing a 20% margin with a 20% markup (it needs 25%).
- Leaving labor burden and contingency out of cost.
Frequently asked questions
What's labor burden?
The real cost of an employee above their wage: payroll taxes, workers' comp, insurance, and benefits — often 25–40%.
Why add contingency?
Jobs hit surprises. A contingency buffer protects your margin from change orders, weather, and rework.
Margin vs. markup?
Margin is profit as a share of price; markup is profit as a share of cost. A 20% margin is a 25% markup.