Construction Job Cost & Margin Calculator
Check whether this job is really leaving enough money behind. Use this construction job cost and margin calculator to compare bid revenue against labor, materials, equipment, subcontractors, overhead, and rework so you can see your true gross margin before the job ends — built for small business owners in construction.
Originating module: Construction Profitability Checklist.
Why this matters
Many contractors underprice jobs, fail to recover overhead, or lose margin through weak change-order discipline. A job can look profitable until hidden labor burden, equipment usage, callbacks, or overhead are included.
What you'll figure out
Whether this job covered its true cost — and whether you should repeat the same pricing approach on the next bid. Check whether this job is really leaving enough money behind.
1. Job profile
2. Revenue
Total: $0
Approved-but-unbilled revenue belongs in the margin picture. Cash timing belongs in the Construction Cash Flow Guide.
3. Labor
Loaded labor: $0
Taxes, workers' comp, benefits. Applied to base labor.
Burden added
$0
4. Materials & equipment
5. Subcontractors & overhead
Resolved overhead
$0
6. Rework & margin target
Export & save
Three options — pick what fits how you want to keep this worksheet.
What owners miss
Quick self-check
- Are you pricing jobs using last month's real labor costs, or old guesses?
- Do you know how much overhead each job actually needs to carry?
- Are callbacks or scope misses quietly eating profit after the work is won?
Next steps
Practical educational planning, not accounting, tax, or legal advice.