Free contractor tool

Job profit margin calculator: margin on a single job

Punch in a job's price, labor, and materials and instantly see your profit, margin %, and markup %. Free, no signup, and it all runs right here in your browser, nothing is sent anywhere.

Job details

Enter what you charge and what the job costs you. Results update as you type.

The total you'll invoice the customer.

Your numbers

Profit on this job
$0.00

Enter a job price to see your profit.

Margin
N/A
Markup
N/A
Labor$0.00
Materials$0.00
Other$0.00
Total cost$0.00

The difference between margin and markup

They both come from the same dollar of profit, but they measure it against different things. Mixing them up is one of the most common pricing mistakes in the trades.

Profit margin

profit ÷ price × 100

Margin is profit as a slice of the price you charge. A 30% margin means 30 cents of every dollar the customer pays is profit. It's the number that tells you how healthy the job is.

Markup

profit ÷ cost × 100

Markup is profit as a slice of your cost. It's how much you add on top of what the job costs you. Because cost is smaller than price, markup is always a bigger percentage than margin.

Quick gut check: a 50% markup on cost is only a 33.3% margin on price. If you price by "adding 20%," you're talking markup, and your true margin is lower than you think. This calculator shows both so you can price on purpose.

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Read next How much does field service software cost? Claver for your trade →

Keep the numbers when the job is booked

Inside Claver the same estimate becomes the quote you send, and the quote becomes the invoice you get paid on, so nobody retypes a price between the driveway and the bank.

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Profit margin FAQ

What's a good profit margin for a contractor?
It varies by trade, but most trade and home-service businesses aim for a net profit margin of roughly 10–20% after all costs and overhead. Gross margins on a single job (before overhead) are usually higher, often 30–50%. New or highly competitive markets tend to run lower, while specialized work can run higher. Treat any single number as a benchmark, not a rule.
What's the difference between margin and markup?
Margin is profit as a percentage of the price you charge (profit ÷ price). Markup is profit as a percentage of your cost (profit ÷ cost). They describe the same dollar of profit from two angles, so markup is always a bigger number. For example, a 50% markup on cost equals a 33.3% margin on price.
Does Claver calculate this automatically?
Yes. Claver's job costing tracks labor hours, materials, and overhead against each job's price, so it shows live profit, margin, and markup per job without a separate spreadsheet. Set your labor rates and material costs once, and every quote and invoice reports its real profitability.

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