Per-Job True Profit Calculator — What Does Each Job Actually Earn?

Your job's numbers

Use a typical recent job for most accurate results

Job revenue *

Total billed to customer

Materials cost *

Parts, supplies, consumables

Trade *

Tech labor hours *

Total on-site + drive time

Tech fully-loaded hourly rate *

Wages + benefits + payroll tax

Truck / vehicle cost per job *

Fuel + maintenance ÷ jobs/day

Overhead allocation %

Default 18% — typical trade shop

Callback probability %

Default 8% — your shop's callback rate

Avg callback cost

Labor + truck per callback visit

True Profit Per Job

—

after all costs

True Margin %

—

vs. benchmark

Total Cost Per Job

—

materials + labor + truck + overhead + callback risk

📊 Revenue Waterfall — Where the Money Goes

Revenue —

— Materials —

— Labor —

— Vehicle / Truck —

— Overhead —

— Callback Risk —

= True Profit —

📊 Where You Stand vs. Trade Benchmarks

Top Quartile —

Median —

Below Median —

🔢 Full Cost Breakdown

Job revenue —

Materials cost —

Labor cost —

Vehicle cost —

Overhead allocation —

Callback risk (expected cost) —

Total cost —

True profit —

What's next

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Gross Margin vs. True Profit — Why They're Not the Same

Most trade operators look at gross margin: revenue minus materials, sometimes minus direct labor. That's a start, but it misses the costs that compound quietly — overhead allocation, vehicle depreciation, and callback risk. A job showing 40% gross margin can easily land at 8% true profit once those are factored in.

18–22%

Typical overhead as % of revenue for a 5–15 tech HVAC shop

$25–$55

Vehicle cost per job at industry average utilization and fuel costs

18%

True profit margin benchmark for a healthy HVAC service job

Why overhead allocation matters

Overhead includes rent, insurance, software, admin staff, marketing, and owner compensation above market rate. If your shop runs $800K in overhead and completes 4,000 jobs per year, each job carries $200 of overhead before a single part is ordered. Miss this and you'll underprice jobs that look profitable until you look at your bank account at year-end.

The 18% default in this calculator is a common benchmark for trade shops with 5–15 technicians. High-overhead shops (multiple locations, large admin staff, high marketing spend) often run 22–28%. Lean owner-operator shops can get to 12–15%. Adjust the slider to match your actual overhead ratio for accurate results.

Callback risk: the hidden tax on every job

Even if your callback rate is 8%, that means 1 in 12 jobs will require a return visit at your cost. If callbacks average $185 (labor + truck for a 2-hour return visit), each original job carries an expected callback cost of $14.80 at an 8% rate. Across 1,000 jobs per year, that's $14,800 that doesn't show up in your job costing unless you account for it here.

The faster fix is tracking callbacks per technician — in most shops, the top 20% of techs by callback rate drive 60–70% of the total callback bill. Named accountability closes the gap faster than any blanket policy.

Trade-specific true profit benchmarks

HVAC: Top-quartile service shops net 18–25% true profit per job. Median is 12–16%. Below 10% is below median and often indicates an unaddressed overhead creep or underpriced service tier. Equipment changeout jobs typically run lower true margin than service calls. (Source: ACCA contractor surveys; RollForge aggregate data.)
Plumbing: Top-quartile shops run 16–22% true profit per service job. Drain jobs and small repairs often run high margin due to low materials cost. New construction and remodel plumbing tends to compress margin due to change-order uncertainty. (Source: PHCC surveys; operator benchmarks.)
Electrical: Service calls run 18–24% true profit for top-quartile shops. Panel upgrades and rewires carry more labor variance risk; materials pricing volatility (copper, conduit) can swing margin by 5–8 points on larger jobs. (Source: NECA contractor surveys; RollForge aggregate.)

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions from trade contractors about job profitability, overhead allocation, and true profit benchmarks.

What is true profit per job vs. gross margin?

Gross margin is revenue minus direct materials and sometimes direct labor. True profit per job goes further — it subtracts overhead allocation, vehicle cost, and callback risk per job. A job showing 40% gross margin can easily land at 8–12% true profit once overhead and truck cost are included. Gross margin overstates profitability for most trade contractors.

What is a good true profit margin for HVAC service jobs?

Top-quartile HVAC service shops net 18–25% true profit per job after all costs including overhead and vehicle. The median band is 12–16%. Below 10% is below-median performance and typically indicates overhead creep or underpriced service tiers. Equipment changeout jobs typically run lower true margin than pure service calls due to higher materials cost.

How do I calculate overhead allocation per job?

Overhead allocation per job = (annual overhead dollars) divided by (total annual jobs). Annual overhead includes rent, insurance, software, admin salaries, marketing, and owner compensation above market rate. For a shop with $800K overhead and 4,000 annual jobs, each job carries $200 of overhead before a single part is ordered. As a percentage of revenue, this is typically 18–22% for most trade shops.

What is the right overhead percentage for a 10-tech HVAC shop?

A 5–15 tech HVAC shop typically runs 18–22% overhead as a percentage of revenue. High-overhead shops with multiple locations and large admin staff often run 22–28%. Lean owner-operator shops can get to 12–15%. Use your actual P&L overhead total divided by total revenue for your specific number.

How do I calculate vehicle cost per job for a plumbing contractor?

Vehicle cost per job = (monthly truck expenses for one truck) divided by (jobs that truck completes per month). Monthly truck expenses include fuel ($300–$500), maintenance ($100–$200 averaged monthly), insurance ($150–$300), and any lease payments. For a truck completing 60 jobs per month with $900 in monthly costs, per-job vehicle cost is $15. Most trade shops run $25–$55 per job.

Why do high-ticket jobs sometimes have lower true profit margin?

High-ticket jobs like equipment changeouts and large installations typically carry higher materials cost as a percentage of revenue, leaving less room for labor margin. They also carry more callback risk — a failed equipment installation creates a larger callback than a failed service call. Additionally, materials pricing volatility (copper, refrigerant, circuit panels) can swing actual cost versus estimate by 5–10 points on larger jobs.

What is the minimum acceptable true profit per job for an electrical contractor?

Below 10% true profit per job is below-median for electrical contractors and indicates a profitability problem. Top-quartile electrical shops run 18–24% true profit on service calls. The floor to remain viable long-term is roughly 10–12% true profit — below that, a single callback, price spike, or slow period converts a break-even operation to a loss.

How does callback risk affect per-job profit?

Callback risk is an expected cost per job: if your callback rate is 8% and a callback costs $185 in labor and truck, each job carries an expected $14.80 in callback risk. At 1,000 jobs per year, that is $14,800 that does not show in your job ticket but does show in your P&L. Including callback risk in per-job profit gives you a more accurate picture of what each job type actually nets over time.

You quoted $485. But what did the job actually earn?