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Fieldpaid Blog
Job costing, invoicing, and profit tracking for trade contractors.
Why Contractors Lose Money on Jobs (And How to See It Coming)
Most contractors lose money on jobs without knowing it. Underpricing, untracked labour, scope creep, and zero margin visibility silently kill profit on jobs that feel profitable.
Read article →Using QuickBooks on a Job Site: The Honest Guide for Trade Contractors
QuickBooks is built for accountants at desks, not electricians on ladders. Here's what actually works for trade contractors using QuickBooks in the field — and what doesn't.
Read article →The Contractor's Guide to Getting Paid Faster
Slow payment is a cash flow killer for contractors. Here's what actually speeds up payment — including a copy-paste reminder template sequence you can use today.
Read article →Contract Invoice Payment Terms for Trade Contractors (Plain-English Guide)
Net 30, due on receipt, 50% deposit, 1.5% late fee — what each invoice payment term actually means for trade contractors, and which ones get you paid fastest.
Read article →Average HVAC Profit Margin: Real Numbers for Trade Contractors
Typical HVAC contractors run 35–50% gross margin and 5–12% net margin. Here's what drives the spread, why installs and service jobs differ, and how to find your real margin per job.
Read article →Average Electrician Profit Margin: What Solo and Small-Crew Electricians Really Make
Electricians typically run 40–55% gross margin and 6–12% net margin. Here's why service calls beat new construction on margin, and how to measure your own.
Read article →Average Plumber Profit Margin: Real Numbers for Plumbing Contractors
Plumbers typically run 35–50% gross margin and 8–12% net margin. Here's how emergency calls, fixture installs, and repipes compare, and how to find your own margin.
Read article →How Much to Charge for a Service Call (Trade Contractor Pricing Guide)
Most trade service-call fees run $75–$150, often applied to the repair. Here's how to set a fee that covers your real cost of showing up without losing the job.
Read article →How to Price a Job as a Contractor (Without Guessing or Losing Money)
A step-by-step method for pricing trade jobs: cost your materials and labour, add a real markup for overhead and profit, and check the margin before you send the quote.
Read article →How to Write a Contractor Estimate That Wins the Job
What to put on a professional contractor estimate, how to structure line items, and how to send it fast enough to beat the competition and protect your margin.
Read article →Best Invoicing App for Contractors: What to Look For in 2026
The best invoicing app for a trade contractor sends invoices in seconds from a phone, syncs with QuickBooks, takes card payments, and chases overdue invoices automatically. Here's how to choose.
Read article →Mobile Invoicing for Contractors: Get Paid Before You Leave the Driveway
Why invoicing from your phone the moment a job is done beats invoicing at home that night — and what to look for in a mobile invoicing workflow that actually gets used.
Read article →How Much Deposit Should a Contractor Ask For? (And When to Require One)
Most contractors take a 25–50% deposit on larger jobs to cover materials and confirm commitment. Here's how to set the right amount, when to require one, and how to handle pushback.
Read article →Average Security & Low-Voltage Installer Profit Margin
Security and low-voltage installers typically run 40–55% gross margin and 8–15% net. Here's why labor-heavy jobs beat equipment-heavy ones, and how to find your real number.
Read article →QuickBooks Alternatives for Contractors: When to Switch, When to Add
Most contractors do not need to replace QuickBooks — they need a faster field layer on top of it. Here's an honest look at the alternatives and where each one fits.
Read article →What to Do When a Client Won't Pay (A Contractor's Step-by-Step)
A calm, escalating process for collecting on an unpaid contractor invoice — from a friendly reminder to a demand letter and small claims — without torching the relationship too early.
Read article →Flat Rate vs Hourly Pricing: Which Makes Contractors More Money?
Flat-rate pricing usually earns more and protects your margin once you know your numbers, while hourly is safer on unpredictable work. Here's how to choose by job type.
Read article →How to Calculate Your Fully-Loaded Labor Rate (Stop Underpricing Your Time)
Your fully-loaded labor rate is your wage plus overhead plus profit, spread across billable hours. Here's the formula, a worked example, and why it is higher than you think.
Read article →Credit Card Processing for Contractors: Stripe, Square, and Getting Paid Faster
Accepting card payments gets contractors paid 7–10 days faster despite the ~3% fee. Here's how Stripe and Square compare and whether to pass the fee to clients.
Read article →Contractor Cash Flow Management: How to Stop Running Out of Money While Busy
Profitable contractors still run out of cash when money goes out before it comes in. Here's how to manage cash flow with deposits, fast invoicing, and a simple buffer.
Read article →Markup vs Margin: The Difference That Quietly Costs Contractors Money
Markup and margin are not the same number, and confusing them is why contractors underprice. A 50% markup is only a 33% margin. Here's the math and how to price right.
Read article →Job Costing for Contractors: A Simple System That Actually Gets Used
Job costing tells you whether each job made money. Here's a simple three-number system any trade contractor can run after every job — without a spreadsheet or a bookkeeper.
Read article →How to Invoice as a Contractor: A Step-by-Step Guide That Gets You Paid
A clear, professional invoice sent the day the job is done is the fastest way to get paid. Here's exactly how to invoice as a contractor, step by step, plus the mistakes that delay payment.
Read article →What to Include on a Contractor Invoice (Complete Checklist)
A complete contractor invoice has eleven essential elements — from invoice number and license to itemised line items, tax, due date, and payment terms. Here's the full checklist.
Read article →Estimate vs Quote: The Difference Every Contractor Should Know
An estimate is an educated guess that can change; a quote is a fixed price you're committing to. Confusing the two leads to disputes and lost margin. Here's when to use each.
Read article →Material Markup for Contractors: How Much to Charge and Why
Most contractors mark up materials 15–35%, and it's not gouging — it covers sourcing, pickup, handling, waste, and warranty risk. Here's how to set a markup that holds.
Read article →Overhead and Profit Explained: The Number Most Contractors Forget to Charge
Overhead is every cost not tied to one job — truck, insurance, phone, slow weeks. If you don't build it into your prices, your "profit" is really just covering overhead. Here's how.
Read article →How to Handle Change Orders Without Losing Money or the Client
Scope changes are inevitable; eating the cost is not. Here's how to handle change orders professionally — document the change, price it, get written approval before you do the work.
Read article →Best Accounting Software for Contractors in 2026 (Honest Comparison)
QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks, and Wave compared for trade contractors — what each does well, where each falls short in the field, and why your field workflow matters as much as the books.
Read article →How Much Do Contractors Charge Per Hour? Real Trade-by-Trade Rates
Electricians, plumbers, and HVAC techs typically bill $75–$150+ an hour, but the rate clients see isn't what you keep. Here's what trades charge and how to set your own rate.
Read article →How to Follow Up on Unpaid Invoices (Without Burning the Relationship)
A calm, repeatable follow-up sequence for chasing unpaid invoices — when to send the first reminder, what to say at each stage, and how to get paid without an awkward phone call.
Read article →Net 30 Payment Terms Explained (And Why Contractors Should Think Twice)
What Net 30 actually means, how it compares to Due on Receipt and Net 15, and when offering 30-day terms helps or hurts a trade contractor's cash flow.
Read article →How Much Should Contractors Save for Taxes? (A Simple Rule and the Real Math)
A practical guide to setting aside money for taxes as a self-employed contractor — the rough percentage to save, why self-employment tax catches people out, and how to handle quarterly payments.
Read article →Progress Billing for Contractors: How to Get Paid as the Job Moves
How progress billing works on larger contracting jobs — milestone vs percentage-of-completion methods, how to structure a draw schedule, and how it protects your cash flow on long projects.
Read article →How to Quote a Painting Job (So You Actually Make Money on It)
A step-by-step method for quoting interior and exterior painting jobs — measuring square footage, estimating labour and paint, pricing per square foot vs per hour, and the costs painters forget.
Read article →Retainage Explained: What Contractors Need to Know About Held-Back Payments
What retainage is, how the 5–10% holdback works on construction contracts, how it affects your cash flow, and how to manage and recover it without losing money.
Read article →Gross Profit vs Net Profit: The Difference That Decides If You Actually Make Money
The difference between gross profit and net profit explained for trade contractors — why a healthy gross margin can still leave you with nothing, and which number to watch.
Read article →How to Raise Your Prices as a Contractor (Without Losing Your Good Clients)
A practical guide to raising your rates as a trade contractor — how to know you are underpriced, how much to raise, how to communicate it to existing clients, and how to handle pushback.
Read article →Deposit Invoice vs Final Invoice: How to Bill a Job in Two Parts
The difference between a deposit invoice and a final invoice, when to use each, how to show the deposit correctly on the final bill, and how to avoid double-charging or confusing the client.
Read article →How to Improve Profit Margins in a Trade Business: 7 Levers That Actually Work
Seven concrete ways trade contractors can improve profit margins — from pricing and job selection to materials markup, labour efficiency, and tracking real margin per job.
Read article →AC Service Call Cost: What Contractors Actually Charge
A standard AC service call costs the homeowner between $89 and $175 for the trip and first 30 minutes of diagnostic time, with the national average sitting around $120. Total invoices climb to…
Read article →HVAC Service Call Pricing: What to Charge in 2024
Most HVAC service calls land between $89 and $175 for the diagnostic or trip fee alone, with total invoices averaging $150 to $500 depending on the repair. That base fee should cover your truck…
Read article →Plumber Service Call Cost: What to Charge in 2024
Most plumbing service calls cost homeowners $75 to $250 for the trip charge alone, with the national average sitting around $150. Total invoiced amounts for a typical service call (trip fee plus…
Read article →Best HVAC Invoicing Software (Ranked for 2025)
The best HVAC invoicing software in 2025 depends on whether you need field invoicing, QuickBooks sync, or built-in profit tracking. Fieldpaid is the strongest option for QuickBooks-connected HVAC…
Read article →Plumber Service Call Rates: What to Charge in 2024
Most plumbing companies charge a service call fee between $75 and $250, with the national average sitting around $150. This fee covers truck roll, drive time, and initial diagnosis. Hourly rates…
Read article →Electrician Service Call Rates: What to Charge in 2024
Most electricians charge a service call fee between $75 and $150, with the national average around $75 to $125 for the trip alone. Total hourly rates for residential electrical work typically run…
Read article →Do Electricians Charge VAT? Thresholds, Rates & Invoicing
Electricians in the UK must charge VAT at 20% once their taxable turnover exceeds £90,000 in any rolling 12-month period (as of April 2024). Below that threshold, VAT registration is voluntary.…
Read article →HVAC Service Call Rates: What to Charge in 2024
Most HVAC service call rates fall between $89 and $165 for the trip charge alone, with total billed rates (labor included) ranging from $150 to $300 per hour depending on region, complexity, and…
Read article →Best Invoicing Software for Trade Contractors (2025)
The best invoicing software for trade contractors is the one that connects to your accounting system, works from a job site, and shows you profit per job before you hit send. For contractors…
Read article →HVAC Profit Margins: Real Numbers and How to Protect Them
Most HVAC contractors operate on gross profit margins of 40–50% and net profit margins of 8–14%, though top performers push net margins above 20%. Residential service and repair work typically…
Read article →HVAC Service Call Cost: What Contractors Actually Charge
A typical HVAC service call costs homeowners $75 to $200 for the diagnostic or trip fee alone, with the national average sitting around $100 to $150. Total invoices including labor and parts…
Read article →Plumbing Service Call Cost: What You Should Charge
A typical plumbing service call costs the customer $150 to $350 before any repair work begins. That fee covers your drive time, truck overhead, diagnostic labor, and the first 30 to 60 minutes on…
Read article →Electrical Contractor Invoice Example: Line by Line
A professional electrical contractor invoice includes a header with your license number and contact info, a job address, itemized labor (typically $75–$150/hour for journeyman electricians per…
Read article →Electrician Service Call Cost: What Reddit Gets Right
Most electricians charge a service call fee between $75 and $150, with the national average sitting around $75 to $125 for the trip plus the first 30 minutes of diagnostic time. Reddit threads…
Read article →Emergency Plumbing Service Call Cost: What to Charge
Most emergency plumbing service calls cost homeowners $150 to $500, with an average around $300 for the first hour. The service call fee alone typically runs $75 to $200 just to show up, before…
Read article →How to Write a Plumbing Invoice That Gets Paid Fast
A plumbing invoice needs six non-negotiable elements: your business name and license number, the customer's name and service address, a unique invoice number, an itemized list of labor and…
Read article →Average Plumber Service Call Cost: Real 2024 Numbers
The average plumber service call cost ranges from $150 to $350 for the trip charge plus the first 30–60 minutes of diagnostic time. Total invoiced amounts for common residential service calls…
Read article →Electrician Service Call Rates per Hour: 2024 Numbers
Most electricians charge between $75 and $150 per hour for service calls in 2024, with a separate trip or service call fee of $50 to $100 on top. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median…
Read article →HVAC Service Call Cost Per Hour: Real Rates for 2024
Most HVAC contractors charge between $75 and $200 per hour for service calls, with a national average around $100–$150/hr. The wide range reflects geography, licensing requirements, specialization…
Read article →Plumbing Shop Profit Margin: Real Numbers for 2025
A healthy plumbing shop nets 10% to 18% after all expenses, with the median closer to 12%. Gross margins on labor-heavy service work typically land between 45% and 55%, while new-construction…
Read article →How Much Does a Plumber Charge for a Service Call?
Most plumbers charge $75 to $200 for a service call fee, which covers the trip to the customer's location and the first 15 to 30 minutes of diagnostic time. The actual repair cost is additional.…
Read article →Plumbing Company Profit Margins: Real Numbers for 2025
Most plumbing companies operate on net profit margins between 8% and 15%, with well-run shops hitting 18% or higher. Gross margins typically land in the 45–55% range for residential service work…
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