Most contractors can quote a job in their sleep. Far fewer can say what they kept after labor, the drive, the truck, materials, overhead, and the lead. The MarginMate job calculator is that check. No account. No demo call. Save jobs in your browser if you want a week of tickets in one list.
Do this now: open the calculator, leave the sample $680 bathroom job, then change travel to 1.5 hours. Margin falls even though the invoice did not. That is the lesson. Then replace the sample with yesterday's real ticket.
The sample job, written out
Defaults on the calculator:
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Revenue | $680.00 |
| Onsite hours | 3.5 |
| Travel hours | 0.75 |
| Labor rate (burdened) | $45.00 |
| Miles / vehicle $/mi | 20 × $0.65 |
| Materials | $112.00 |
| Overhead $/labor hour | $12.00 |
| Lead allocation | $25.00 |
Cost stack: travel labor $33.75 + onsite labor $157.50 + vehicle $13.00 + materials $112.00 + overhead $51.00 + lead $25.00 = $392.25. Net profit $287.75 (42.3% net). Profit per hour about $68.
If you cost the same job as "3.5 hours at $30 plus parts," you "make" $463. The extra $175 is not profit. It is missing travel, burden, overhead, and the lead. Read the step-by-step costing guide for the same table side by side with the napkin version.
What to put in each field
- Labor rate: burdened cost, not wage. If you only know wage, use the 1.6× helper on the calculator, then replace it with your real worksheet.
- Travel hours: round trip, including the return to shop or the next stop you would not have driven.
- Vehicle $/mile: $0.55–$0.75 is a common range for a gas service van if you have not built a real number.
- Materials: your cost. Not the billed parts total.
- Overhead $/hour: monthly fixed costs ÷ job hours this month. Travel hours count.
- Lead cost: $0 for a repeat customer; the full fee for a paid lead; or monthly ads ÷ jobs from ads.
How to use it this week
- Cost yesterday's last job. Save it to the local job log.
- Cost a job that "felt tight" and a job that "felt like a winner."
- Cost a callback at $0 revenue. That is the real price of "we'll take care of it."
- If average net margin on five tickets is under 25%, your price book or your radius is wrong — not your work ethic.
Copy the share link when you want a tech or partner to see the same numbers. The log never leaves this browser; clearing site data deletes it.
What the calculator is not
It is not Jobber, QuickBooks, or a replacement for dispatch. It will not invoice, schedule, or text the customer. It answers one question honestly: did this ticket make money? Tracking every job automatically is what the full product is for. The first useful step is still running the job you just finished.
Final takeaway
One honest ticket is worth more than a month of guessing. Run five. Save them. Change the price or the mix on the losers. That is the whole system.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free job profitability calculator for contractors?
Yes. MarginMate’s calculator lets you enter revenue, labor, travel, vehicle cost, materials, overhead, and lead allocation with no signup. You can save a private job log in this browser.
What does the sample $680 job show?
With the defaults, total cost is $392.25 and net profit is $287.75 (42.3%). Wage-only costing of the same ticket falsely shows about $463 profit.
Does the calculator replace full field service software?
No. It shows net profit, margin, and dollars per hour on one job so you can price honestly. Logging every ticket automatically is what the full product is for.
Try it on your last job
Open the free job profitability calculator, enter your numbers, and see net profit and margin in seconds.