Shop overheadTrue job costPrice confidently
Overhead Recovery Calculator
Stop “forgetting” the invisible costs. Allocate rent, utilities, insurance, tools, software, and shop wear across projects so every quote carries its fair share.
Fast workflow
- Enter monthly overhead totals (or your baseline).
- Choose how you want to allocate (per hour, per job, per unit).
- Plug in expected labor/time for this project.
- Add the overhead result into your pricing stack.
Tip: If you don’t know overhead yet, start conservative, then refine after 30 days of tracking.
Overhead Recovery Calculator
Determine your true hourly shop cost by factoring in overhead and desired profit margin.
How to use
- Enter your overhead totals (rent, utilities, insurance, tool payments, software, etc.).
- Pick the allocation method you actually operate with (hours, units, or jobs).
- Enter this project’s expected time/units/jobs.
- Add the overhead result into your quote alongside materials and labor.
Pro tips
- • Overhead isn’t “extra”; it’s what keeps the shop alive between invoices.
- • If you batch work, allocate shared overhead across units so each item carries its share.
- • Recalculate monthly. Overhead changes faster than you think (subscriptions creep).
- • Separate “fixed” (rent) from “variable” (consumables) if you want tighter pricing.
FAQs
What’s the difference between overhead and profit?
Overhead covers costs of operating (rent, utilities, insurance). Profit is what’s left after all costs are paid. Recover overhead first, then add profit.
How do I handle overhead for tiny projects?
Use a minimum overhead floor per job (even small jobs consume admin time, shop time, and “lights on” cost). Many shops apply a minimum shop charge.