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Free job pricing checklist and margin calculator

Before you send a price, check that it pays for the whole job. Work through the checklist, then test your selling price. No email or signup required.

Check your margin

Use costs excluding recoverable VAT. Include non-recoverable tax within your costs. The result is a selling price before VAT and profit before any costs you have left out.

Formula: selling price = cost ÷ (1 − margin ÷ 100). A 20% markup on £1,000 gives a £1,200 price and 16.7% margin; a 20% margin needs a £1,250 price.

Your before-you-quote checklist

Tick each item when you have checked it. Print or save as PDF to keep a copy for the job.

1. Scope
List the work, quantities, finish, exclusions and customer-supplied items. Confirm measurements and access.2. Labour
Count preparation, travel, collection, installation, testing, cleanup and repeat visits. Include every worker and subcontractor.3. Materials
Use current supplier costs. Include delivery, fixings, consumables, breakages and waste allowance.4. Site costs
Check skips, permits, parking, scaffold, protection and equipment hire where relevant.5. Overheads
Allow for the business costs the job must recover: vehicle, tools, insurance and administration.6. Uncertainty
State assumptions and include an appropriate contingency for known uncertainties. Do not promise to cover unseen work without checking it.7. Profit
Separate your return from labour costs and contingency. Check margin on the full selling price, not just markup on materials.8. Customer document
Review the scope and total, explain customer responsibilities and agree how changes will be priced before work starts.

Put the checklist to work

For a bathroom installation, customer-supplied fittings do not remove your labour, small parts or disposal costs. For a rewire, testing and making good may add time beyond the cable installation. For a refurbishment, include the visits between trades. Use your inspection and experience to decide what belongs in your quote.

Read how to calculate profit margin, 25 costs tradespeople forget and how to price labour correctly.

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