Materials markup is not optional
Sourcing materials takes time: pricing them, ordering them, collecting them, returning what was not used, and dealing with what arrived wrong. Passed through at cost, all of that is unpaid.
Ten to twenty percent is common on trade work. Whether you itemise it or fold it into a single materials line is a matter of taste, and folding it in is usually the quieter conversation.
The costs people leave off
Skip hire and disposal. Permits and inspection fees. Plant hire for a day. Parking on a city job. None is large on its own and together they can be several percent of a job's value, which on trade margins is most of the profit.
They have their own fields here so they end up on the invoice rather than in your own pocket.
Quote first, invoice after
This prices the invoice at the end. If you are still pricing the work, the cost estimator does the same job by section for any of 46 trades, with waste, contingency and a deposit, and hands the result to the quote generator.
Related calculators
- Project invoice calculatorA share of a fixed price, billed in stages
- Hourly invoice calculatorHours and a rate, into a total
- Cost estimatorPrice the job before you start
Questions people ask
How do I calculate a contractor invoice?
Add labor hours times your rate, materials plus their markup, and any equipment, permits or disposal. Apply tax to that subtotal, then subtract any deposit already paid.
What markup should I put on materials?
Ten to twenty percent is common on trade work. It pays for the time spent pricing, collecting and returning materials, which is real work nobody invoices separately.
Should materials markup be shown separately?
Not usually. Most contractors fold it into a single materials line, which is accurate and avoids a conversation about the percentage rather than the price.
Does tax go on materials as well as labor?
In most US states, yes on materials, with labor varying by state and by the type of work. Check your own state, because the rules differ more than people expect.
When should I take a deposit?
Whenever you are buying materials up front. A deposit that covers the materials means a job that stalls does not stall with your money in it.
How do I turn this into an invoice?
The button under the result carries labor, materials, equipment and permits into the invoice generator as separate lines with the tax rate already set.