Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Bid price
$18,000
Gross profit
$5,400
Markup on cost (%)
42.9
Hard cost
$12,000
Cost with contingency
$12,600
Suggested 30% deposit
$5,400
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One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter material cost ($).
- 2Enter labor cost ($).
- 3Enter subcontractor cost ($).
- 4Enter permits, dump, equipment ($).
- 5Enter target gross margin (%).
- 6Enter contingency (%).
- 7Read your bid price on the right — it updates as you type.
- 8Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Markup and margin are not the same number. A 30% markup on cost is only a 23% gross margin — the gap is where small contractors lose their profit.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Material cost: 4200 $
- Labor cost: 5600 $
- Subcontractor cost: 1500 $
- Permits, dump, equipment: 700 $
- Target gross margin: 30 %
- Contingency: 5 %
Results
- Bid price: $18,000
- Gross profit: $5,400
- Markup on cost (%): 42.9
- Hard cost: $12,000
- Cost with contingency: $12,600
- Suggested 30% deposit: $5,400
What each field means
Inputs
- Material cost ($)
- The material cost used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 4200 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Labor cost ($)
- The labor cost used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 5600 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Subcontractor cost ($)
- The subcontractor cost used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 1500 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Permits, dump, equipment ($)
- The permits, dump, equipment used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 700 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Target gross margin (%)
- The target gross margin used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 30 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–80 %.
- Contingency (%)
- The contingency used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 5 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–25 %.
Results
- Bid price
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Gross profit
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Markup on cost (%)
- Returned as a decimal number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Hard cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Cost with contingency
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Suggested 30% deposit
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
How does the job bid, markup & margin calculator work?
Markup and margin are not the same number. A 30% markup on cost is only a 23% gross margin — the gap is where small contractors lose their profit. The underlying maths is: Price = cost ÷ (1 − target margin); markup% = price ÷ cost − 1.
What do I need to enter?
6 values: material cost, labor cost, subcontractor cost, permits, dump, equipment, target gross margin, and contingency. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move.
What does the bid price result mean?
It is returned as a money amount in US dollars and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds.
Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?
Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser.
How accurate is the result?
It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
Who is this tool for?
It's built for anyone comparing money scenarios before committing — budgeting a payment, sanity-checking a quote, or seeing what a change in rate or term actually costs.
Accuracy and 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.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Job Bid Markup Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/job-bid-markup
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/job-bid-markup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Job Bid Markup Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Job Bid Markup Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/job-bid-markup) (2026).