What to include
Labor is total person-hours × loaded hourly cost. Count owner labor too. Include travel time in person-hours if paid; the separate travel-cost field is for fuel, mileage or similar costs, not a second labor charge. Use a consistent allocation for equipment and overhead, and avoid adding expenses already included in your loaded labor rate.
Profit equals revenue minus all included costs. Margin equals that profit divided by revenue, multiplied by 100. A $500 job with $300 in costs leaves $200, or a 40% margin. That is different from adding a 40% markup to cost.
Use the job-costing guide to compare estimate and actual, or the lawn-care pricing guide to work backward from a target margin.
Frequently asked questions
Should I count my own labor?
Yes. Use a realistic cost for the time you spend doing the job, even when you do not pay yourself hourly. Otherwise an owner-operated job may look profitable simply because the owner’s time is missing.
Does this include sales tax or payment timing?
No. Enter revenue excluding sales tax. Profit and cash collection are different: an unpaid invoice can have a calculated job profit while cash is still outstanding.
Can the worksheet show a loss?
Yes. When included costs exceed revenue, profit and margin are negative. Zero revenue shows no defined margin rather than a misleading zero percent.