Job Pricing Calculator & Quote Builder

How project cost estimation works in Australia

In Australia a price you give before the work starts is usually called a quote when it is a fixed, binding figure, and an estimate when it may move with the scope. Tradies and builders say they are quoting a job; agencies and consultants talk about a proposal or statement of work. Whatever the label, the structure underneath is the same: build up the cost of doing the work, add your profit and a buffer, and only then think about tax.

Almost everyone uses the bottom-up method. You estimate the labour (hours or days at your charge-out rate), the materials and supplies, and direct expenses such as plant hire, tip fees, hosting or travel. That total is your cost base. On top you add a markup or target margin so the job makes money, and a contingency so a surprise on site does not eat that profit. This calculator mirrors that order exactly — line items first, then pricing, then GST — so the number the client sees is itemised and defensible line by line.

How GST applies to your quotes and estimates

Australia has a single Goods and Services Tax of 10% that applies to most goods and services. A handful of items are GST-free — basic food, most health and medical services, some education and childcare — but for the vast majority of tradie, construction, freelance and consulting work, the standard 10% applies. You charge GST on your sales and, if registered, claim back the GST on your business purchases through your Business Activity Statement (BAS).

Registration is the trigger. You must register for GST once turnover reaches A$75,000 in a 12-month period (A$150,000 for non-profits), and you can register voluntarily below that. Once registered you charge GST on taxable sales and quote accordingly. If you are not registered you do not charge GST at all, and your quotes should not show a GST line — adding one when you are not registered is not allowed.

How you present GST depends on who the quote is for. To a consumer, Australian Consumer Law (s48, enforced by the ACCC) requires a single GST-inclusive total price — one clear figure that already includes the tax, with no surprise add-on at the end. For a business client the convention is reversed: show the price excluding GST, a separate 10% GST line, then the gross total, because that is what the client needs to reconcile and claim. The GST component must always be shown, and this calculator handles both with an inclusive or exclusive toggle so you can flip presentation without re-keying a figure.

Step by step: pricing a job with a worked example

The fastest way to see how the pieces fit is to price a real job — a small bathroom renovation quoted by a licensed trade, built up the Australian way: cost base, then profit, then contingency, then GST.

1. Add your labour. Say 40 hours of licensed trade work at A$90/hr = A$3,600, plus 24 hours of a labourer at A$55/hr = A$1,320. Labour subtotal: A$4,920.
2. Add materials and expenses. Tiles, fittings and supplies at A$4,000, plus plant hire and tip fees at A$450. That takes the cost base to A$9,370.
3. Apply your profit. On a A$9,370 cost base, a 25% markup adds A$2,342.50, lifting the price to A$11,712.50. (If you prefer to think in target margin, read the next section — markup and margin are not the same number.)
4. Add a contingency. A 10% contingency on A$11,712.50 adds A$1,171.25 to cover the surprise rotten subfloor or the price of tiles moving between quote and order. Running total: A$12,883.75 excluding GST.
5. Apply GST. Add 10% GST of A$1,288.38, for a GST-inclusive total of A$14,172.13. For a homeowner you would show A$14,172 as the single price; for a business you would show A$12,883.75 ex GST, A$1,288.38 GST, then the gross.
6. Export and send. Set your valid-until date, add your terms, and download the PDF so the client has a professional quote they can sign off on.

Markup vs margin vs contingency, and what the numbers should be

These three levers get confused constantly, and the confusion costs money. Markup is a percentage added on top of cost — A$100 of cost at 25% markup becomes A$125. Margin is the share of the final price that is profit — a 25% margin on that same A$100 cost means a sell price of A$133.33, because profit must be 25% of the total, not the cost. So a 25% markup is only a 20% margin. Under-pricing usually starts right here, with someone adding a markup while believing they are protecting a margin.

Contingency is different again: not profit, but a buffer for risk you cannot fully see at quoting time — variations, weather, materials moving, a wall that hides a problem. On a well-scoped job 5% to 10% is normal; on a renovation or anything with unknowns behind the walls, 10% to 15% is more realistic. Keep it separate from profit so that if the job runs clean you know the contingency, not your margin, is what came home.

Australian benchmarks give you a sanity check. Tradies typically charge A$80 to A$150 per hour, with many pricing full days at A$600 to A$1,000. Materials are commonly marked up 10% to 25%, and a healthy target net margin across trades and small business sits around 15% to 25%. Residential building runs A$2,000 to A$4,500 per square metre depending on finish and location. Knowledge workers — designers, developers, consultants — usually charge A$80 to A$200 per hour, or A$600 to A$1,500 per day. Price below these and you subsidise the client.

Rate and tax reference (official sources)

Use these figures as your quick reference when setting up a quote. The rates are national; the benchmarks are indicative ranges to sanity-check your own numbers against.

• GST is a flat 10% on most goods and services, with some items GST-free — see the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) for what is taxable, GST-free or input-taxed.
• GST registration is mandatory once turnover reaches A$75,000 in any 12-month period (A$150,000 for non-profits); below that it is optional. Registration and BAS guidance is on the ATO GST registration page.
• Consumer pricing must show a single GST-inclusive total price — see the ACCC guidance on displaying prices and Australian Consumer Law rules on component pricing.
• Indicative rates: tradies A$80 to $150/hr (many $600 to $1,000/day); materials markup 10% to 25%; target net margin 15% to 25%; residential build A$2,000 to $4,500/m²; knowledge work A$80 to $200/hr or $600 to $1,500/day.
• Turn a finished estimate into a tax invoice with the Australia invoice generator, and cross-check what an equivalent role costs to employ with the Australia salary calculator.
• Pricing a job across borders? Use the UK project cost calculator or the US project cost calculator for VAT and sales-tax handling in those markets.

Local specifics that generic tools ignore

Generic quoting apps built for a global audience miss what actually drives pricing here. In Australia the dominant work being quoted is construction and renovation — priced per square metre for builds and as itemised job quotes for tradie work — followed by freelance and contractor day-rate work, then agency and consulting proposals. Each has its own habit: builders lead with a rate per square metre, tradies price bottom-up, and consultants quote days rather than hours. Rates also vary sharply by region: Sydney and Melbourne metro rates sit at the top of the ranges above, regional and remote work carries travel and mobilisation on top, and build costs per square metre swing with finish level and whether it is a new build or a knock-down rebuild — so a single national figure is only ever a starting point.

Freelancers and agencies price differently even for the same deliverable. A sole trader quotes their own time and carries less overhead, so their day rate reflects take-home plus a buffer for super, tax and downtime. An agency loads in overhead, account management and a larger margin, which is why an agency proposal for the same website can run well above a freelancer's. Know which model you are quoting under and set your markup or margin to match. Worth noting: GST has stayed at 10% since it began in 2000, so unlike VAT in many countries your headline tax rate is stable — what shifts is the registration threshold and reporting obligations, which the ATO updates from time to time.