How do I calculate my break-even point for a tree job?

Break-even tells you the floor for a price. First, list your fixed costs for a month: insurance, truck and equipment payments, shop, software, and pay for people who are not on a crew. Divide that by the crew hours you expect to bill in the month. That gives you a fixed cost per crew hour.

Next, list the direct costs of the specific job: wages and payroll costs for the crew, fuel, equipment wear, disposal and any rented equipment.

Now add them up. Direct costs, plus the fixed cost per hour multiplied by the hours the job will take. That total is your break-even for that job.

Any price above break-even adds to profit. Use it as a floor when bidding, not as the target. Aim higher so you can pay for repairs, slow weeks and growth. Review the numbers every few months, because costs change.

The break-even calculator does this math for you with your own numbers.