Data sources & methodology

JobCostBase runs entirely in your browser. You paste job costs, burden rates, and markup targets — we apply documented arithmetic. This page lists the formulas and the limits. Nothing here is a licensed estimate, appraisal, or tax advice.

Core formulas

• Markup → bid: Bid = Cost × (1 + Markup%). Margin% = Markup% ÷ (1 + Markup%).
• O&P stack: After OH = Direct × (1 + OH%); Bid = After OH × (1 + Profit markup%).
• Full bid stack: Direct → OH% → contingency% on after-OH → profit markup.
• Labor burden: Loaded $/hr = Base × (1 + Burden%). Burden% = Burden $ ÷ Base wages.
• Materials: Landed = Cost × (1 + Waste%) + Delivery; Sell = Landed × (1 + Markup%).
• Required hourly: (Target income + Annual OH) ÷ Billable hours, with optional profit buffer.

What we do not pull

• No RSMeans, no live material APIs, no county permit fee libraries
• No QuickBooks / job-costing sync — paste numbers you already have
• No insurance-claim “O&P” schedules — construction bidding only
• No national “average rate” scraping — optional market fields are yours to paste

Known simplifications

• Order of OH / contingency / profit is labeled on each tool; shops sometimes reverse layers
• Burden vs overhead: trucks and shop rent usually sit in OH, not payroll burden — avoid double-counting
• Company margin vs job margin: annual tools include slow months; job tools do not invent them
• Cost-plus fee% language is related to markup but framed for open-book contracts

Corrections

Found a wrong formula? Email contact@jobcostbase.com with the page URL and inputs. Also see About and all calculators.