What is inside
The download is a ZIP containing four CSV files and a README. The files open in Excel, Numbers, Google Sheets and other spreadsheet applications. They are separate tabs you can import into one workbook if you prefer.
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
01-estimate.csv | Crew, direct costs, overhead, contingency, true job cost and the minimum price at your target margin. |
02-actual.csv | What the completed job actually cost, what you charged, and the resulting profit and margin. |
03-variance.csv | Estimate versus actual by category, with the profit leakage and a primary leakage category. |
04-labor.csv | Crew hours and loaded hourly cost, estimated and actual, with the hours variance. |
README.txt | The formulas, the sample-data warning and short instructions. |
How to use it
- Replace every sample row in
01-estimate.csvwith your own labor, materials, equipment, subcontractor, travel, permit, disposal and other direct costs. - Enter your allocated overhead and contingency. The formulas are listed in the README.
- Keep the category labels matched between the estimate and actual files so the variance tab lines up.
- After the job, fill in
02-actual.csvwith the real costs and the price you charged. - Use
03-variance.csvto find the largest unfavorable category, then adjust the next similar estimate instead of guessing.
Sample data warning
The workbook ships with illustrative figures for a small electrical panel job. They are not market rates, wage benchmarks or promised results. Replace them before using the workbook to price real work. The calculators on this site use the same arithmetic and can check any figure you enter.
Formulas used
true job cost = loaded labor + nonlabor direct costs + allocated overhead + contingencyminimum price before tax = true job cost ÷ (1 − target margin − payment processing rate)profit leakage = expected profit − actual profit at the same selling pricePrivacy and security
The workbook is a static download. It does not contain your data, does not ask for an email address and does not send anything to QuoteFormula. If you open a CSV file that someone else edited, treat formula-like cell values with caution. QuoteFormula exports prefix risky cells beginning with =,+, - or @ to reduce spreadsheet-formula injection risk.
Related calculators
Build the figures before you open the workbook: use the labor burden calculator for loaded hourly cost, the overhead calculator for the recovery rate, and the job cost calculator for the full estimate. After the job, the estimate versus actual calculator produces the same variance analysis without a spreadsheet.