Job profit calculator for service businesses

How do I calculate the profit on a cleaning, lawn care or trade job?

Job profit is the price minus every cost the job causes: labor (including your own time and payroll costs), materials, driving, card fees and a share of overhead. Divide profit by price for your margin. In the starting example, a $220 two-person, three-hour job makes $40.64 profit, a 18.5% margin; a 30% margin would need about $258.

Price you charge for the job ($)Hours on site (per person)People on the jobHourly pay per person ($; use your own if solo)Payroll costs on top of pay (%)Materials and supplies ($)Round-trip milesVehicle cost per mile ($)Card fee (%)Card fee per payment ($)Overhead per job ($: insurance, software, phone)Target profit margin (%)

Labor	$132.00
Materials	$12.00
Driving	$13.68
Card fees	$6.68
Overhead	$15.00
Job profit	$40.64
Profit margin	18.5%
Profit per crew hour	$6.77
Price for a 30% margin	$258.00

Everything runs in your browser. The vehicle cost default is the IRS business mileage rate, a deduction rate rather than your real cost; replace it with your own figure if you track one. Owner pay counts as labor here so the profit is what the business keeps.

Last verified October 23, 2026 against IRS: Standard mileage rates. Fee change tracker · How we verify

The only official rate on this page is the default vehicle cost: the IRS business standard mileage rate for July 1 to Dec. 31, 2026, 76¢ per mile. Every other number is an example you replace with your own.

How the starting example works

Line	Working	Amount
Labor	3 hours × 2 people × $20/hour, plus 10% payroll costs	$132.00
Materials and supplies	Example	$12.00
Driving	18 round-trip miles × 76¢ per mile	$13.68
Card fee	2.9% of $220 + 30¢ (example rate; use your processor's)	$6.68
Overhead share	Example: insurance, software, phone spread across jobs	$15.00
Profit	$220 minus the lines above	$40.64

Getting each input right

Count your own hours. If you skip owner time, a job can look profitable while you work for less than you'd pay a helper.
Payroll costs. If you have employees, the cost of an hour is more than the wage. Enter the percentage your payroll provider or accountant gives you; if you work alone, you can leave it at 0.
Driving. The IRS mileage rate is a deduction rate, not your actual cost. If you track fuel, maintenance and insurance per mile, use your own figure.
Card fees. Use your processor's real rate. Our Square, Stripe and PayPal calculators show current published rates.
Overhead. Add up monthly costs that aren't tied to one job (insurance, software, phone, advertising) and divide by the number of jobs you do in a month.

Using it to set prices

Run your three most common jobs through the calculator. If the profit per crew hour is lower than you want, change one thing at a time: the price, the crew size, the time on site, or the area you serve (driving). The "price for a target margin" line shows the lowest price that reaches the margin you entered, given your costs.

Questions

What is a good profit margin for a cleaning or lawn care job?

We don't publish a benchmark because we haven't found an official source for one. Use the calculator to see your own margin per job type, and compare jobs against each other.

Should I include my own pay as a cost?

Yes, if you want to know what the business keeps after paying for the work. Enter the hourly amount you'd pay someone else to do the job. If you leave it out, the profit figure is your pay and profit combined.

Can I use the IRS mileage rate as my vehicle cost?

You can use it as a stand-in. The IRS business rate for July 1 to Dec. 31, 2026 is 76¢ per mile, but it is set for deductions, not for your actual costs. Whether you can deduct mileage is a separate question; ask a tax professional.

How is the target-margin price worked out?

It divides the costs that don't change with price (labor, materials, driving, the fixed card fee and overhead) by 1 minus the card fee percentage minus your target margin, then rounds up to the next dollar.

General information, not tax, legal or accounting advice. Rates change: check the linked official source before you rely on a number. Not yet reviewed by a CPA or EA.