{
  "slug": "schedule-of-values",
  "title": "Schedule of Values Line Item Calculator",
  "heading": "Schedule of Values Line Item Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/schedule-of-values",
  "summary": "Allocate contract value across line items and check front-loading.",
  "description": "A schedule of values (SOV) breaks the total contract sum into line items by trade or CSI division for progress billing purposes — each pay application draws down against these line items based on percentage complete. Owners and architects scrutinize SOVs for front-loading, where a contractor inflates early-schedule line items (site work, mobilization) relative to their actual cost share so they collect more cash early in the job than the work performed justifies, effectively getting an interest-free loan from the owner. This calculator takes a line item's allocated contract value and percentage complete to compute the amount billable this period, and separately flags front-loading risk by comparing a line item's percentage of total contract value against its percentage of estimated actual cost — a material mismatch is exactly what a sharp owner's rep or architect will catch and reject during pay application review.",
  "formula": "Amount billable = Line item value × % complete this period. Front-load ratio = (Line item % of contract value) ÷ (Line item % of actual cost).",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=schedule-of-values",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "lineItemValue",
      "label": "Line item scheduled value",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 145000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "pctComplete",
      "label": "Percent complete this period",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 65,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 100
    },
    {
      "id": "totalContractValue",
      "label": "Total contract value",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 2400000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "actualCostEstimate",
      "label": "Estimated actual cost of this line item",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 118000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "totalActualCost",
      "label": "Total estimated actual project cost",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 2100000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "billable",
      "label": "Amount billable this period",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "frontLoadRatio",
      "label": "Front-load ratio (1.0 = neutral)",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "pctOfContract",
      "label": "Line item % of total contract value",
      "format": "percent",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "overallocation",
      "label": "Value allocated above actual cost estimate",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Line item scheduled value: 145000 $",
      "Percent complete this period: 65 %",
      "Total contract value: 2400000 $",
      "Estimated actual cost of this line item: 118000 $",
      "Total estimated actual project cost: 2100000 $"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Amount billable this period: $94,250.00",
      "Front-load ratio (1.0 = neutral): 1.08",
      "Line item % of total contract value: 6.0%",
      "Value allocated above actual cost estimate: $27,000.00"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter line item scheduled value ($).",
      "Enter percent complete this period (%).",
      "Enter total contract value ($).",
      "Enter estimated actual cost of this line item ($).",
      "Enter total estimated actual project cost ($).",
      "Read your amount billable this period on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "lineItemValue": 87000,
        "pctComplete": 39,
        "totalContractValue": 1440000,
        "actualCostEstimate": 71000,
        "totalActualCost": 1260000
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "lineItemValue": 145000,
        "pctComplete": 65,
        "totalContractValue": 2400000,
        "actualCostEstimate": 118000,
        "totalActualCost": 2100000
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "lineItemValue": 232000,
        "pctComplete": 100,
        "totalContractValue": 3840000,
        "actualCostEstimate": 189000,
        "totalActualCost": 3360000
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "What front-load ratio is considered a red flag?",
      "a": "A ratio meaningfully above 1.15-1.2 (meaning a line item is scheduled for 15-20% more of the contract value than its actual cost share suggests it should carry) typically draws scrutiny from architects and owner's reps reviewing pay applications. A ratio at or near 1.0 across most line items indicates a clean, defensible SOV that won't get flagged during review."
    },
    {
      "q": "Why do contractors front-load an SOV in the first place?",
      "a": "Front-loading improves early project cash flow by collecting more cash relative to cost incurred in the early months, which offsets the natural cash drag from paying subs and suppliers before collecting from the owner, and provides a cushion if a later dispute or slow payment period hits. Moderate, defensible front-loading (weighting early line items like mobilization and site work slightly higher) is common practice; aggressive front-loading that clearly doesn't reflect real cost is what gets rejected."
    },
    {
      "q": "How detailed should SOV line items be?",
      "a": "Most owners and lenders want line items broken out by CSI division or trade with enough granularity to track meaningful progress (typically 20-50 line items on a mid-size commercial job), but not so granular that updating percentage complete each month becomes an administrative burden. AIA G703 continuation sheets are the standard format most commercial projects use."
    },
    {
      "q": "Does retainage get calculated per line item or on the total?",
      "a": "Retainage is almost always calculated on the total billed amount per pay application (summing across all line items), not tracked separately per line item, since the SOV's purpose is allocating value for progress tracking, while retainage is a contract-level withholding percentage applied uniformly to the total earned amount."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/construction-draw-schedule",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/retainage-cash-flow",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/construction-change-order-pricing"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Schedule of Values Line Item Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/schedule-of-values)"
}