---
title: "Did that job actually make money? | LocoTap"
description: "Take off the parts and every hour, and see what’s left. An 1,800 job, 600 of parts, 12 hours at 65: 420 kept, 23% of the price."
url: "https://locotap.com/learn/job-profit"
---

# Did that job actually make money?

Take off the parts and every hour, and see what’s left.

**For**

See what each job really kept, so you price the next one right.

**When**

When a job is paid, or runs over

## Try it

An 1,800 job, 600 of parts, 12 hours at 65: 420 kept, 23% of the price.

Kept = price − parts − hours × what an hour costs you.

Count every hour, the trips included.

## Worked out

| Hours | Hours cost | Kept | Of the price |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 6 | 390 | 810 | 45% |
| 10 | 650 | 550 | 31% |
| 12 | 780 | 420 | 23% |
| 16 | 1,040 | 160 | 9% |

## Easy to get wrong

- Costing hours at your pay alone.
- Forgetting the trip back for parts.
- Checking only the jobs that felt bad.
- Looking at the price, not what’s left.

## The tool for it

**Job profit** What each finished job really made, after the hours and the parts [About it](https://locotap.com/tools/job-profit) [Start free](https://locotap.com/sign-in?back=%2Fapp%2Flearn%2Fjob-profit)

## Questions

**What does an hour cost me?**

Your pay plus your costs, spread over the hours you bill.

**What share should I keep?**

Your own target; type it in, and watch it job by job.

**Should I check every job?**

At first, yes. Then the kinds that often run over.

**What if a job lost money?**

Find out why: the price, the hours or the parts. Fix the next quote.

**Do I count the drive?**

Yes, if it’s time you couldn’t spend on another job.

**What about warranty call-backs?**

Count them against the first job; they come out of its profit.

**Is profit what I take home?**

No: tax comes out, and some of it pays for slow months.

**How do I know the hours?**

From the hours log, written down on the day of the job.

Next · Back office: [Will I have enough money next month?](https://locotap.com/learn/cash-flow)