The estimate knows what the work costs you, so it can show your margin while you're still editing — per line and overall — and work backwards from the margin you want.
Margin, Markup, And Profit
Three numbers, and the difference between two of them matters. Profit is simply what you sell it for minus what it costs you. Margin is that profit as a share of the sell price. Markup is the same profit as a share of the cost.
They are not the same number, and confusing them is the most common way a contractor prices a job into a loss. A 50% markup on cost is only a 33% margin.
- Profit = sell − cost.
- Margin = profit ÷ sell price.
- Markup = profit ÷ cost.
- The editor shows both so you're never guessing which one you're looking at.
The Cockpit
Margin appears live as you edit, both for the whole estimate and for each individual line. A line priced below your threshold is visible immediately, while you can still do something about it — not after the job is finished and the costs are in.
Cost comes from the price book's material and labor cost on each product. A hand-typed line with no linked product has no cost, so it can't contribute a margin — which is itself worth knowing.
- Live margin overall and per line.
- Cost comes from the product's material + labor cost.
- Lines with no linked product carry no margin.
The Target Solver
If you know the margin you need, work backwards. Enter a target margin and the solver computes the price changes needed to hit it, showing you exactly which lines move and by how much before anything is applied.
It also warns you when the target is unreachable or when a change would push a line somewhere unreasonable. Nothing changes until you apply it.
- Enter a target margin; the solver finds the prices.
- It shows the equivalent markup on cost as you type.
- A per-line preview of every change, before applying.
- Warnings for unreachable or unreasonable targets.
Pro tip: Solve to your target, then look at the per-line preview before applying. If one line has to absorb the whole correction, the problem is usually a missing cost in the price book, not the price.
Who Can See It
Margin is financials-gated. Someone without financial access builds estimates, sends proposals, and closes deals normally — they simply don't see cost or margin anywhere. The customer never sees them at all.
- Margin and cost require financial access.
- Non-financial roles still sell — they just sell at your prices.
- Nothing about cost appears on the customer's document.