Stop guessing on bids. Enter your costs, set your desired margin, and get the exact price to charge. Works for painters, fencers, and all trades.
Paint, lumber, supplies, etc.
Total hours for job
Your labor rate
Insurance, gas, equipment, etc.
Your Recommended Bid
$3,227
Enter your email and we'll send you a professional PDF estimate you can share with clients.
No spam, ever. Just your estimate.
Master these concepts to price jobs confidently and profitably.
Margin is the percentage of your final price that is profit. If you charge $100 and profit $25, your margin is 25%.
Markup is the percentage added to your costs. If your cost is $75 and you add $25 profit, your markup is 33%.
Same profit, different percentages. Most accountants prefer margin because it's based on the selling price.
Specialty work, rush jobs, or premium services can command higher margins.
Undercharging doesn't just hurt your income — it hurts the entire industry and sets unrealistic expectations for customers.
A healthy margin covers unexpected costs, slow seasons, equipment replacement, and allows you to invest in your business.
If you're winning every bid, you're probably too cheap.
Margin is the percentage of your selling price that is profit. Markup is the percentage added to your costs to get your selling price. For example, if you charge $100 and your cost is $75, your margin is 25% (profit / price) but your markup is 33% (profit / cost). They're related but not the same!
Most successful contractors aim for 20-35% profit margin. Under 20% leaves little room for unexpected costs or slow periods. 25-30% is considered healthy for most trades. Premium services or specialized work can command 35%+ margins.
If you're doing the work yourself, yes! Your time has value. Many contractors make the mistake of not paying themselves, which makes their business look profitable on paper but isn't sustainable. Include your hourly rate in labor costs.
Overhead includes all the indirect costs of running your business: vehicle expenses, insurance, tools and equipment, office/admin costs, marketing, licenses, and a portion of any rent or utilities. Divide your monthly overhead by your average jobs per month to get per-job overhead.
Look at your effective hourly rate (what you actually make per hour of work). If it's below $50-75/hour for skilled trades, you're likely undercharging. Also compare your margins to industry standards (20-35%). If you're winning every single bid, you're probably too cheap!
The calculator uses the standard margin formula: Bid Price = Total Cost ÷ (1 - Margin%). For example, if your costs are $1,000 and you want a 25% margin, your bid would be $1,000 ÷ 0.75 = $1,333.33. This ensures your profit is exactly 25% of the final price.