JOB COSTING & PROFIT MARGIN
Job costing and profit-margin review for trade contractors.
We build the cost structure that shows whether each job actually makes money. True hourly rates, loaded crew costs, overhead allocation, and markup discipline — mapped before you bid the next one.
✓Flat fee quoted upfront ✓We file your business returns ✓Remote or in-person
Call (661) 554-4495
Book a free profit-margin review
We look at your last few jobs, identify the leaks, and quote a flat fee to fix the system. No obligation.
NTTA Tax Group · Santa Clarita, California
$0First review — we map the leaks before you decide
Flat feeNo hourly surprises for system build or cleanup
Per jobCosting structure that follows each project
Why it matters
The three ways job costing goes wrong
Most contractors know their revenue. Fewer know their true cost per job. The gap shows up only after the job is done — or after the year ends and the books reveal nothing useful.
Too little tracking
Labor hours slip, material overruns absorb into the next job, and overhead lives in a lump at year-end.
The right structure
Every job carries its own labor burden, equipment, overhead share, and true material cost.
Too much complexity
Spreadsheets that never reconcile, categories that multiply, and a system so fragile no one maintains it.
We build the structure that fits your trade, your crew size, and your actual workflow — then we maintain it so the numbers stay current.
What we handle
What the engagement covers
1
True hourly rate calculation
We load wages with payroll taxes, benefits, downtime, and non-billable hours to find the rate you actually recover when a crew member clocks in.
2
Overhead burden assignment
We split shop, admin, insurance, and equipment costs across job types or revenue lines so overhead stops being a mystery at year-end.
3
Material markup discipline
We separate material cost from job markup, track vendor credits and returns, and build the habit of quoting margin instead of adding a flat percentage.
4
Job-size profit targets
We set gross-profit targets by job tier — small service calls, mid-size residential, commercial projects — so you know which work to pursue and which to decline.
5
Equipment finance vs. buy mapping
We model the true cost of owning, leasing, or financing trucks and tools, then fold that loaded cost into job bids instead of treating it as overhead afterthought.
6
Change order and deposit tracking
We build the workflow for pricing change orders, recording deposits as liability until earned, and keeping job reports clean for tax filing.
We serve contractors across trades
General contractors
Landscapers
Pest control
Junk removal
Specialty trades
Solo operators
WHAT YOU LEAVE WITH
What a consult delivers
Every engagement ends with working documents, not theory. You get the numbers you need to bid the next job and the system to keep them current.
How it works
How it works
1
Send your recent job data
We review your last 6–12 months of bids, actuals, payroll reports, and material receipts — whatever you have, however rough.
2
We map the cost structure
Our team builds the loaded rates, overhead splits, and markup discipline that fit your trade. We identify the leaks and model the fixes.
3
You decide, we maintain
You approve the system, we train your crew on the workflow, and we maintain the books and job reports going forward. You execute bids; we keep the numbers honest.
How the fee works
A flat fee, quoted up front.
We quote a flat fee after the free review. The fee depends on four factors:
IS THIS YOU?
Find your situation
Bidding big jobs that look profitable but drain cash on the back end
Size the profit reality →
Insurance for trucks, tools, and crew buried in overhead instead of
Load the true cost →
Deciding whether to buy used, lease, or finance equipment without
Model each path →
Quoting labor without a true hourly rate that covers burden and
Build the rate card →
Overhead percentage that swings wildly and never matches the jobs
Set the target →
Design fees that sit outside job costing and distort the true project
Structure the fee →
Estimates that never match actuals and no feedback loop into the next
Close the loop →
First solo job and no clear picture of what you actually take home
Split the payment right →
Free inspections as marketing with no cost tracking during slow
Track the true cost →
Matching the going rate without knowing if your cost structure can
Price from cost up →
No gross profit target that changes with job size and complexity
Set tiered targets →
Bidding residential vs. commercial jobs with the same markup logic
Bid by type →
Sharing scope with crew while keeping pricing hidden and no system
Scope without exposure →
Busy with work but profit unclear and cash always tighter than
Find the leak →
Junk removal pricing that covers haul costs but misses labor, dump,
Price for profit →
Landscaping crew cost per day that ignores equipment, travel, and
Load the day rate →
Landscaping jobs with no cost breakdown and profit that disappears in
Break it down →
Unclear what a healthy landscaping margin looks like for your mix of
Know healthy →
Using markup percentage without understanding the margin it actually
Learn the difference →
Material markup handled separately from job markup, creating
Unify the markup →
National account contracts with payment terms that strain cash and
Assess the risk →
New truck temptation without modeling true ownership cost against job
Compare loaded cost →
Pay-as-you-go insurance between jobs with no plan for how it folds
Cover the gaps →
Pest control estimates that miss chemical, licensing, and
Capture all drivers →
Material price spikes with no escalation clause to protect quoted
Build the clause →
Price pushback from clients and no data to know if you can afford to
Handle pushback →
Change orders priced on the fly without the original job's cost
Price changes right →
Jobs outside your area with no system for surcharge or true travel
Map the surcharge →
Bidding unfamiliar work with no database of similar jobs to ground
Bid with structure →
Customer deposits recorded as income instead of liability, inflating
Fix the books →
Time wasted quoting jobs that were never aligned with your cost
Qualify first →
Underpriced work that attracts the wrong clients and blocks better
Raise to match value →
No benchmark for how revenue drops in downturns and which costs to
Plan the buffer →
Rising material costs eroding quoted margins before the job even
Adjust the bid →
Growth past $1M with margins that compress because systems did not
Protect margin at scale →
Free estimates consuming billable hours with no recovery mechanism
Decide on estimates →
Discounts offered without knowing the margin floor that cannot be
Know the floor →
Solo operation profit that looks high until you load in the
Compare true margin →
Subcontractor estimates tracked separately from direct costs,
Track subs in the job →
Underbid job in progress with no data to decide whether to absorb or
Decide the path →
Vendor credits and returned materials that never make it back to the
Close the loop →
Vendor discounts that distort markup calculations and design fee
Clean the math →
Payroll rising with no pricing response, squeezing margin on every
Raise with payroll →
Profitable-looking work that actually consumes capacity better used
Know when to decline →
Questions about the engagement
How much does the job costing system cost?
We quote a flat fee after the free review. It depends on crew size, job variety, the current state of your books, and whether you want ongoing monthly maintenance or a one-time build.
Can you work with my current accounting software?
Yes. We build the costing structure in whatever system you use — QuickBooks, Xero, or a spreadsheet bridge — and we maintain it there going forward.
Do you file my business tax returns too?
Yes. We are a full-service tax and accounting firm. The job costing system feeds directly into our tax prep, so there is no gap between your operational numbers and your filing.
How long does the review and setup take?
The free review takes about an hour. A full system build typically runs 2–4 weeks depending on backlog and record condition. We quote the timeline with the fee.
What records do I need to bring?
Recent bids and actuals, payroll reports, material receipts, and any current job tracking you use. If records are incomplete, we work with what you have and build the cleanup into the quote.
Do you handle payroll as well?
Yes. We run payroll and payroll taxes, which lets us load the true labor burden directly into your job costing without you reconciling two systems.
Will this work for a solo operator?
Yes. We model the replacement cost of your own labor so your bids reflect what it would cost to hire for the work, not just the cash you take home.
What if my market won't bear true loaded costs?
We tell you straight. We model what volume, mix, or efficiency shift would make the math work, or whether the current business model needs rethinking. We do not build fiction into your bids.
Ready to see true cost per job?
Book the free review. We will map the leaks, quote a flat fee, and build the system that shows whether each job is worth taking.