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
Sell price to customer
$400.00
Gross margin dollars
$80.00
Gross margin percent
20.0%
Net margin after coordination time
$67.00
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How to use this
- 1Enter vendor invoice cost ($).
- 2Enter markup percent applied (%).
- 3Enter staff coordination time (hrs).
- 4Enter loaded staff labor rate ($/hr).
- 5Read your sell price to customer on the right — it updates as you type.
- 6Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Sublet work — glass replacement, machine shop work, upholstery, specialty welding, towing you rebill — gets marked up like a part, but the right markup depends on how much liability and coordination risk you're carrying versus simply passing the invoice through. This calculator computes sell price and margin for a sublet job given the vendor's invoice cost and your markup percentage, and flags whether that markup is thin, standard, or aggressive relative to typical sublet practices, since sublet items on a repair order are frequently underpriced because they get treated as a pass-through instead of a billable service the shop is coordinating and standing behind.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Vendor invoice cost: 320 $
- Markup percent applied: 25 %
- Staff coordination time: 0.5 hrs
- Loaded staff labor rate: 26 $/hr
Results
- Sell price to customer: $400.00
- Gross margin dollars: $80.00
- Gross margin percent: 20.0%
- Net margin after coordination time: $67.00
What each field means
Inputs
- Vendor invoice cost ($)
- The vendor invoice cost used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 320 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Markup percent applied (%)
- The markup percent applied used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 25 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–200 %.
- Staff coordination time (hrs)
- The staff coordination time used in the calculation, measured in hrs. Starts at 0.5 hrs so you have a working example on load.
- Loaded staff labor rate ($/hr)
- The loaded staff labor rate used in the calculation, measured in $/hr. Starts at 26 $/hr so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Sell price to customer
- 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 margin dollars
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Gross margin percent
- Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Net margin after coordination time
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
What's a typical sublet markup?
20-30% is common for straightforward pass-throughs like glass or towing. Sublet work requiring more coordination, liability exposure, or warranty responsibility on your part (like outsourced transmission rebuilds) often justifies 30-40%+ since you're standing behind someone else's work under your shop's name.
Should I mark up towing bills I rebill to insurance?
Many insurers cap allowable towing markup or require invoice-only billing, so check your DRP agreements before marking up towing — this varies significantly by insurer and state, and billing above allowed caps can trigger an audit flag.
Why factor in coordination time at all?
Because scheduling the vendor, transporting the vehicle, quality-checking the work, and handling any comeback on sublet work all consume real staff time that a flat percentage markup doesn't always cover, especially on jobs needing multiple trips or vendor coordination calls.
Does sublet markup affect DRP or fleet contract compliance?
Yes — many direct repair programs and fleet contracts cap sublet markup at a specific percentage (often 20-25%) or require cost-plus invoicing with documentation, so check contract terms before applying your standard shop markup to DRP or fleet repair orders.
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). Sublet Repair Markup Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/sublet-markup-margin
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/sublet-markup-margin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sublet Repair Markup Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Sublet Repair Markup Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/sublet-markup-margin) (2026).