Fixed Cost Spreader Calculator
Spread your fixed business overheads (insurance, software, phone, bookkeeping, licenses) across working days, jobs, and floor area — get the dollar figures to bake into every quote.
Spread Your Fixed Overheads Across Days, Jobs, and Floor Area
List every fixed business cost — insurance, software, phone, bookkeeping, trade license, training — and the calculator spreads each across your working days, jobs, and floor area for the year. The result: the dollar figure you need to add to your day rate, your per-job overhead allocation, and your per-m²/ft² pricing so your overheads are always covered. One tool for six of the ten starter-pack overheads.
Your Business Volume
How much work you do in a year — drives the denominators for each output.
Your Fixed Costs
Two columns, one formula per row: Amount × Frequency = Annual cost. The total row spreads the combined annual across your working days, jobs, and floor area.
- Liability insurance billed yearly → Amount
1800· FrequencyAnnually= $1,800 / yr - Software subscription billed monthly → Amount
150· FrequencyMonthly= $1,800 / yr (150 × 12) - Bookkeeper billed quarterly → Amount
450· FrequencyQuarterly= $1,800 / yr (450 × 4)
Enter your fixed cost amounts above to see the per-day, per-job, and per-ft² spread.
Rule-of-thumb spreader, not exact accounting. Per-area figure assumes your jobs are roughly your typical size. For travel-scaled costs like vehicle fuel, use the Vehicle Operating Cost Calculator. For marketing spend, use the Marketing Cost Per Day Calculator.
How the Fixed Cost Spreader Calculator Works
- Set your business volume — working days per week, weeks worked per year, jobs per year, and your typical area per job (m² or ft²).
- Add a row for each fixed cost — name it (e.g. "Liability Insurance"), enter the amount, and choose the frequency (Annual, Quarterly, Monthly, or Weekly).
- The calculator converts each row to an annual equivalent and divides by your business volume to show $/day, $/area, and $/job for that line.
- Read the grand totals at the bottom — that's your combined fixed overhead burden per day, per area, and per job.
- Use the per-day total to set the Per-Day overhead amounts on your Business Profile. Use the per-job total for Per-Job lines, and the per-area total for Per-m²/ft² lines.
Examples
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a fixed cost vs a variable cost?
A fixed cost stays roughly the same each month regardless of how many jobs you do — insurance, software subscriptions, phone, bookkeeping, license renewals. A variable cost scales with work — materials, sub-contractor labor, fuel for travel. This calculator is for the fixed bucket: things you pay whether you work or not, that need to be spread across the work you DO get.
Why does the calculator give three outputs (per day, per area, per job)?
Because different contractors quote in different units. If you quote per day, use the $/day figure. If you quote per m² or ft², use the per-area figure. If you charge a flat per-job amount, use the per-job figure. They're three views of the same underlying cost — pick whichever matches how you price work.
Should I use this for vehicle fuel and running costs?
No — vehicle running costs are better priced per km/mile via your Travel Rate, because they genuinely scale with distance to each job. Use this calculator for costs that don't scale with travel: insurance, software, phone, license, etc.
How accurate does the "jobs per year" number need to be?
Within reason — if you do 50–70 jobs a year, use 60. The per-job figure is most useful for the per-job overhead lines (Consumables & PPE, Quoting & Sales Time). For the per-day figure, the jobs count doesn't matter at all.
What's a sensible "weeks worked per year" number?
Most solo contractors land between 46 and 50 weeks. 48 is a good default — accounts for ~4 weeks of public holidays, sick days, admin weeks, and the occasional dead patch. If you take a serious break each year (e.g. 4-week annual leave), drop it to 46.
Can I use this for monthly subscriptions like Xero or ServiceM8?
Yes — that's exactly what it's for. Set frequency to Monthly and enter the monthly price. The calculator converts to annual (×12) and spreads across working days, jobs, and area automatically.
Should the figures here replace my markup/profit margin?
No — overheads and profit are separate. Overheads cover your cost of being in business. Profit is what's left over after labor, materials, AND overheads are paid. Bake the overhead figures into cost, THEN apply your profit margin on top.
Important Notes
- Annual equivalents are calculated as: Weekly × 52, Monthly × 12, Quarterly × 4, Annual × 1.
- Working days per year = days per week × weeks worked per year (you control both).
- Per-area output uses jobs per year × typical area per job to estimate annual area covered.
- Treat the figures as a rule of thumb to bake into pricing — not exact accounting. Pair with the Marketing Cost Per Day Calculator and Vehicle Operating Cost Calculator for a complete overhead picture.
- Re-run the calculator any time a fixed cost changes — software price hikes, insurance renewal, new license — so your pricing keeps up.