Busy doesn’t mean profitable. Put the real numbers from a job in — labour, materials, subbies, the small stuff — and see what it actually made.
traqR tracks labour, materials and subbies against every job as it runs — so you see the margin slipping while you can still do something about it, not months later.
Start free trialLabour at its true hourly cost, materials at what you paid, subbies and the small stuff — tip fees, hire gear, permits — that never makes it onto the quote.
What’s left is gross profit: the job’s contribution to overheads and your bottom line. Price minus costs, nothing clever.
A healthy trades job runs 30–55% gross margin. Below that, the job is barely covering its share of rent, vehicles and admin — let alone making profit.
Gross profit is the job’s price minus its direct costs (labour, materials, subbies). Net profit is what’s left after that gross profit also covers its share of business overheads — rent, vehicles, insurance, admin, your wage. A job can be gross-profitable and still lose money once overheads are allocated, which is why margin targets matter.
The true cost per productive hour, not the wage. A $42/hr employee typically costs $65–$75 per billable hour once super, leave, workers comp and downtime are counted. Using the bare wage overstates the profit on every job you cost — our employee cost calculator gives you the right number.
Most healthy trades businesses target a 30–55% gross margin depending on the mix of labour and materials. Service and maintenance work usually runs higher margins than big installs with heavy material content. If a job lands under 20%, it’s usually working for wages.
The usual suspects: unbilled hours (travel, pickups, rework), materials price rises between quote and purchase, scope creep done as a favour, and small costs like waste and consumables never making it to the invoice. Tracking costs against the job as it runs — not after — is the fix.
This calculator is a general guide, not financial advice. Gross profit here excludes GST and business overheads; actual profitability depends on how overheads are allocated across your jobs. Check your numbers with your accountant.
traqR tracks hours, materials and subbie costs against every job live — so margins can’t quietly disappear between quote and invoice. Try it free for 14 days.