Free business calculator
Job Quote & Cost Overrun Calculator
Build a quote from your costs, protect your margin, and see what happens when a job runs over.
One project.
Two useful answers.
Understand the cash behind it.
Example loaded. Change any value to make it yours.
01 / COSTS
What goes into the job?
Include your time, materials, and overhead. Quantities can be hours, units, or days.
Uncheck “Cash outlay” for unpaid owner time or overhead allocated to the quote. It stays in the price calculation and is excluded when you carry costs into the cash plan.
02 / PRICE
Build in room to earn.
03 / WHAT IF?
Give the estimate a stress test.
Keep the quoted price fixed and increase costs below.
This conservative scenario keeps the full contingency percentage on the increased costs. The entered overruns do not consume that allowance.
Save and export your work
Inputs stay in this browser tab as you move between the tools. Save a browser copy or download a project file to keep them longer. Your amounts and project name are masked from consent-based site analytics.
Estimates reflect your inputs and the stated assumptions. Review the numbers against your actual job and customer payment terms.
How the job quote is calculated
Add the estimated cost of each line, including the labor you perform yourself and any overhead you choose to allocate to this job. The contingency is an allowance on top of that estimate. Together they form the cost budget used to calculate the quote.
Quote = cost budget ÷ (1 − target margin)
Margin is the share of the quoted price left after the modeled costs. It is different from markup, which measures the addition as a share of cost. The overrun view keeps the quote fixed so you can see how higher costs change the estimated profit.
For background, see the SBA's explanation of fixed and variable business costs and CFI's explanation of profitability ratios. The inputs and contingency in this calculator are your assumptions, not published industry benchmarks.
Worked example: a $12,900 quote
This illustrative job uses the following estimated costs before contingency:
| Cost | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Labor | 80 hours × $45 | $3,600 |
| Materials | Estimated amount | $2,400 |
| Equipment | 2 days × $175 | $350 |
| Subcontractor | Estimated amount | $1,800 |
| Allocated overhead | Selected job allocation | $450 |
The estimate is $8,600, including overhead. A 5% contingency adds $430, giving a $9,030 cost budget. At a 30% target margin, $9,030 ÷ 0.70 produces a $12,900 quote and $3,870 of budgeted profit. Every additional $100 of cost reduces that profit by $100 if the quote stays fixed.
Job quote questions
Is a 30% margin the same as a 30% markup?
No. A 30% markup multiplies cost by 1.30. A 30% margin divides cost by 0.70. Choose the margin based on your own business requirements; the example is not a recommended rate.
Does the contingency mean these costs will occur?
No. It is a modeled allowance for uncertainty. It does not predict the actual overrun or prevent a cost from exceeding the allowance.
Should allocated overhead also appear in the cash schedule?
Enter a cash payment only when money is expected to leave the business. An overhead allocation used to price the job is not automatically an additional cash payment. Avoid counting the same expense twice.
Can a profitable quote still need upfront funding?
Yes. Materials and payroll may be due before receipts arrive. Use the Project Deposit & Cash Gap calculator to examine that timing separately.
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