Job cost estimator
Build the cost of a job from materials, labor hours at cost, and other costs. Add a markup and see the price to quote and the profit it leaves, so no cost gets left off the bid.
Priced the job? Now get paid for it.
Got your number? Send it as a quote your customer can pay in a tap. Send your customer an invoice they pay by card from the email with Redbud Way, or a quote that collects a deposit up front. It's free, and we never take a cut of your jobs; Stripe's standard fees apply, billed by Stripe.
The three parts of a job cost
Materials are your parts and supplies. Labor is the hours the job takes times your hourly labor cost (wage plus payroll costs). Other costs are permits, disposal, rentals, and subs. Add them up for your cost, then a markup turns that cost into the price you quote.
The formula: Price = (Materials + Labor + Other) × (1 + Markup ÷ 100). Example: $400 materials, 6 hours at $65 ($390 labor), and $50 in disposal is $840 of cost. At a 30% markup you quote $1,092, keeping $252.
Use it with the other calculators
Want the billable rate you charge per hour instead? Work it out with the hourly rate calculator; it already includes overhead and profit, so don’t add a full markup on top of it here. Want to focus on markup and margin? Use the markup & margin calculator. Already quoted the job and want to check it? Try the job profit calculator.
Pricing per trade? See plumbing, HVAC, electrical, landscaping, and handyman billing on Redbud Way.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I estimate the cost of a job?
- Add three things: materials, labor, and other costs. Materials are your parts and supplies. Labor is the hours the job takes multiplied by your hourly labor cost. Other costs cover permits, disposal, equipment rental, and subs. The total is what the job costs you before any profit.
- How do I turn a job cost into a price to quote?
- Apply a markup on top of your cost to cover overhead and profit. Enter a markup percentage and this estimator shows the quoted price and the profit it leaves. As a rule of thumb, a 20–40% markup is common, but set yours from your real overhead.
- What hourly rate should I use for labor?
- Use your labor cost per hour: the wage you pay (or pay yourself) plus payroll taxes, workers’ comp, and other payroll costs. Leave overhead and profit out of the rate, because the markup covers them, and counting them in both places overprices the job.
- What counts as “other costs”?
- Anything on the job that is not your own materials or labor: permits and inspection fees, dump or disposal charges, equipment or tool rental, and any subcontractor you pay. Leaving these out is the fastest way to underbid a job.
- What about credit card fees?
- Tick “Customer pays by card” to see the standard Stripe processing fee (2.9% + $0.30) on the quoted price and what you keep after it. Redbud Way adds no platform markup on top of Stripe’s rate.