Plumbing
Plumbing Job Profit Calculator
See what one job leaves after burdened labour, materials and the travel and overhead it consumed.
Result
Emergency and after-hours work carries different labour costs. Use the emergency call profit calculator for out-of-hours jobs where a premium applies.
See how it worksWhat moves the number
- Travel, which on a short service call can exceed the time on site.
- Return visits for parts, which consume a slot twice.
- Material margin, which on a fixture-heavy job can exceed the labour margin.
Where this one goes wrong
Judging by invoice size. A large bathroom job with hours that ran over can return less than several service calls through the same days, and only costing shows it.
Questions
About this calculator
Why do small jobs often lose money?
Because the travel is the same as for a large job and the revenue is not. A minimum charge that covers the trip is what makes short work viable.
Should overhead be allocated per job?
Yes, or you are measuring gross profit and calling it profit. Allocating by hours consumed is usually accurate enough to act on.
What raises job profit fastest?
Usually fewer return trips. Parts on the van and better information at booking convert wasted travel into billable hours at no cost to the customer.
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How to use this calculator
- Price quoted to the customer ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $780.
- Labour cost ($). Burdened hourly cost times hours on site, including travel.
- Parts and materials cost ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $180.
- Van and overhead allocation ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $120.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to gross profit, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Price quoted to the customer | $780 |
| Labour cost | $240 |
| Parts and materials cost | $180 |
| Van and overhead allocation | $120 |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Gross profit main result | $240 |
| Gross margin | 30.8% |
| Total job cost | $540 |
| Break-even price | $540 |
Gross profit on this job is $240: a 30.8% margin. Anything quoted under $540 costs you money to complete.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only price quoted to the customer, this is what happens to gross profit. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Price quoted to the customer ($) | Gross profit |
|---|---|
| $390 | -$150 |
| $585 | $45 |
| $780 example above | $240 |
| $1,170 | $630 |
| $1,560 | $1,020 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Price quoted to the customer ($)
- A money amount, starting at $780.
- Labour cost ($)
- Burdened hourly cost times hours on site, including travel.
- Parts and materials cost ($)
- A money amount, starting at $180.
- Van and overhead allocation ($)
- A money amount, starting at $120.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Gross profit | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Gross margin | A percentage. |
| Total job cost | A money figure. |
| Break-even price | A money figure. |
Before you rely on this number
Pipe sizing, flow and pressure figures depend on the actual fittings, the run, the material and local code. Code requirements vary by jurisdiction and override any general calculation, so check what applies where the work is happening.
Keep going
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