See how the estimate works
Labor hours = cleaners × elapsed hours on site.
Loaded labor = base labor cost × (1 + burden rate).
Total cost = loaded labor + supplies + travel + other direct costs + allocated overhead.
Quote before discount = cost ÷ (1 − target margin).
Final price = quote × (1 − discount).
Estimated job profit = final price − cost.
Estimated margin after discount = estimated job profit ÷ final price.
Money is calculated in cents. Base labor and loaded labor round to cents; the target-margin quote rounds up to the next cent. The discounted price uses half-up rounding to cents. Inputs support at most six decimal places, including completed scientific notation after expansion. Malformed entries withhold the estimate. A zero selling price has no defined margin.
Margin is different from markup
On a $100 job cost, a 25% markup produces a $125 price and a 20% margin. A 25% margin needs a $133.34 price after rounding up. The target here is a share of selling price.
What belongs in overhead?
Take the monthly business costs you want jobs to cover, then divide by a realistic number of completed jobs. For example, $600 of monthly overhead over 40 jobs gives $15 per job. This is an allocation, not an industry benchmark. Do not count the same expense again as a direct job cost.
Make room for your own time
If you clean, include yourself in the cleaner count and use a labor cost for that work. An owner working alone does not have free labor. This simple model uses one hourly rate for all cleaners; use a weighted average if rates differ.
Know the limits
This estimates estimated job profit after the costs you enter. It is not personal take-home pay or a guaranteed market rate. Tax, card fees, unpaid travel, rework and other costs are excluded unless you include them. Review the job scope and your market before sending a quote.