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Free General Contractor Calculator

General Contractor Job Profit Calculator

Use this free general contractor profit calculator to see margin on any project. Tracking your actual margin against your estimate on every job is one of the most effective ways to find where profit leaks.

Calculate Job Profit

Labor Cost$0.00
Total Costs$0.00
Profit ($)$0.00
Profit Margin0.0%

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General Contractor Job Profit — Frequently Asked Questions

A good profit margin for a general contractor is 15—25% after all materials, labor, and subcontractor costs. Independent GCs working on residential remodels and small commercial projects typically target margins in this range. If your margin consistently falls below 15%, you may be underestimating job costs, absorbing subcontractor overruns, or underpricing your management time. Use this calculator to identify problem jobs before they damage your bottom line.
Profit on a GC job is calculated as your total contract price minus all direct costs — materials, labor, subcontractors, permits, and equipment. Your profit margin is that profit divided by the contract price. On a $25,000 project with $20,000 in total costs, your profit is $5,000 and your margin is 20%. This calculator focuses on materials and direct labor; add subcontractor costs to the materials field for a complete picture.
The average general contractor hourly rate in the US in 2026 is $75—$110/hr for direct labor on self-performed work. However, many GCs work on a project management fee or percentage basis rather than an hourly rate. If you're billing direct labor hours, $75—$110/hr is the competitive range — use the Hourly Rate Calculator to confirm your specific minimum based on your overhead and income goal.
General contractors typically earn 15—25% margins compared to 25—40% for specialty trades like plumbers or electricians. This is because GCs manage higher project complexity, carry more cost risk (subcontractor delays, material overruns), and often have higher overhead from project management, insurance, and bonding requirements. However, GC jobs are significantly larger — a 20% margin on a $100,000 project is $20,000 profit.
The most effective levers for improving GC margins are: tighter subcontractor bidding and management, more accurate upfront estimating (fewer change orders that go unpaid), marking up materials 40—60% instead of passing them through at cost, and charging properly for project management time. Many GCs undervalue their management role — coordinating subs, managing schedules, and handling client communication is a billable skill worth $75—$110/hr minimum.

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