Free Job Profit Checker · Instant result

Are You Actually Making Money on Every Job?

Find out what your last job really earned you, including the costs and extras you might have missed. Start from an example or enter your own figures. No sign-up.

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Start from an example

LandscapingCleaningEarthmoving

Example job: Garden bed and turf renovation. Change any figure to match your own job.

How are your figures entered?

Excluding GSTIncluding GSTNot registered for GST

Enter the quote and costs without GST. GST is added to the quote in the results.

The quote

Price you quoted (ex GST)

Labour

Labour cost and charge-out rate are different things. Only labour cost is a cost to your business.

Hours quoted

Total hours for everyone on the job.

Labour cost per hour

What an hour of labour costs you: wages plus super, leave, workers compensation and other on-costs. Not your charge-out rate. No GST applies.

Charge-out rate per hour (ex GST) Optional

What a customer pays you for an hour. It isn’t a cost. It’s used to show what unbilled hours were worth.

Job costs

Overhead allowance per hour

Your share of costs like insurance, phone, software, vehicles and admin, per billable hour. Enter 0 to see profit before overheads.

Equipment and machinery per hour (ex GST)

Running or hire cost for each hour on the job. Enter 0 if none.

Materials (ex GST)

Materials and consumables in the quote.

Travel and vehicle (ex GST)

Fuel and vehicle running costs to get to the job.

What actually happened

Add the time and costs that went into the job but weren’t charged to the customer.

Extra hours not charged

Hours over the quote that you didn’t bill.

Unbilled materials and extras (ex GST)

Extra materials, tip fees, parts or other costs you didn’t charge for.

Your result

Fill in the quote, hours and labour cost to see your result. Nothing is sent anywhere.

How it’s worked out

The checker compares the job you quoted with the job you actually did. All amounts are worked out ex GST.

Hourly job costLabour cost per hour + overhead allowance per hour + equipment and machinery per hour
Estimated job costHours quoted × hourly job cost + materials + travel and vehicle
Expected profitPrice you quoted − estimated job cost
Actual job cost(Hours quoted + extra hours not charged) × hourly job cost + materials + travel and vehicle + unbilled materials and extras
Actual profitPrice you quoted − actual job cost
Profit marginProfit ÷ price you quoted (ex GST) × 100
Profit lost to unbilled extrasActual job cost − estimated job cost
Quote to keep your marginActual job cost ÷ (1 − expected margin)

If you choose Including GST, the checker divides the quote, charge-out rate, materials, equipment, travel and extras by 1.1 to remove GST. Labour cost has no GST, and the overhead allowance is used as entered.

Worked example

A landscaper quotes $1,850 (ex GST) for a garden bed and turf renovation, estimating 8 hours. The job runs 2 hours over, and the extra time isn’t charged.

Worked example figures
Price quoted (ex GST)	$1,850
Hours quoted	8
Labour cost per hour	$65
Overhead allowance per hour	$25
Equipment per hour	$15
Materials	$520
Travel and vehicle	$50
Extra hours not charged	2

Worked example results
Estimated job cost	$1,410
Expected profit	$440 (23.8%)
Actual job cost	$1,620
Actual profit	$230 (12.4%)
Profit lost to unbilled extras	$210
Quote to keep a 23.8% margin	about $2,126

Each hour costs $105 ($65 labour + $25 overheads + $15 equipment). Two unbilled hours took $210, almost half the profit the job was meant to make.

Assumptions

All figures are estimates based on what you enter. The example figures are illustrations, not industry benchmarks.
If you’re registered for GST, profit is worked out ex GST: GST you collect is passed on to the ATO, and you can usually claim GST back on costs. If you’re not registered, enter costs as you paid them.
Labour cost is what labour costs your business (wages, super, leave, workers compensation and other on-costs), not your charge-out rate.
Overheads are only included through the overhead allowance you enter.
Extra hours are costed at the full hourly job cost, because labour, overheads and equipment keep running.
Income tax isn’t included. The result is not net profit.

This checker gives an estimate based only on the figures you enter. It is not net profit, a guarantee, or accounting, tax or financial advice.

FAQ

Job Profit Checker questions. Answered.

What’s the difference between labour cost and charge-out rate?

Labour cost is what an hour of work costs your business: wages plus super, leave, workers compensation and other on-costs. Your charge-out rate is what the customer pays for that hour, and it should also cover overheads and profit. Using your charge-out rate as a cost would make almost every job look like it broke even.

Should I enter amounts including or excluding GST?

Either. Choose how your figures are entered and the checker works out profit ex GST, because GST you collect goes to the ATO. If you’re not registered for GST, choose that option and enter costs as you paid them.

What counts as an unbilled extra?

Anything the job needed that the customer didn’t pay for: extra hours over the quote, an extra trip, more materials, tip fees, parts or small variations done as a favour. They’re easy to forget, and they come straight out of your profit.

How do I work out an overhead allowance per hour?

Add up a year of business costs that aren’t tied to one job, such as insurance, phone, software, accounting, vehicles and admin. Divide by the billable hours you work in a year. The hourly rate calculator can help, and your accountant can suggest a method that suits your business.

How is this different from the Job Profitability calculator?

The Job Profitability calculator checks what a finished job made. The Job Profit Checker compares the job you quoted with what actually happened, so you can see how much profit went on extra hours and unbilled extras, and what to quote next time.

Is this my net profit?

No. It’s the job’s profit after the costs and overhead allowance you enter, before income tax. Your accountant can help you work out net profit for the business.

Is anything I enter saved or sent anywhere?

No. The checker works in your browser. Your figures aren’t sent to BuzzBrain or saved. If you allow website analytics, we only record that the checker was used, never the numbers you enter.

Your next step

Stop guessing. Start knowing what every job is worth.

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