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.
Bid = cost + profit
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Bid summary
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Get itMargin 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.
Worked example
80 labor hours at $35 with 35% burden, $4k materials and $2k subs, at a 20% margin, bids about $15,275 (25% markup).
Common mistakes
- Confusing a 20% margin with a 20% markup (it needs 25%).
- Leaving labor burden and contingency out of cost.
Where it is used
- Pricing a job to a target margin.
- Checking a bid covers cost plus profit.
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.
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