Time capture
0.5% to 4% of field payroll, depending on how hours reach the office. Payroll studies put time theft and padded hours at 1.5% to 5% of gross payroll (CMiC, citing the American Payroll Association).
Free tool for contractors
See where job profit may be slipping away.
Seven questions. About two minutes. Get a planning estimate of what gaps in time tracking, change orders, and job costing could cost over a year, then see which areas deserve a closer look.
Calculate my profit leak
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Time sheets that arrive late
Change orders that never get billed
Overruns found after the job closes
Office hours spent retyping data
Job Profit Leak Calculator
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Your estimate
$0per year
That's about 0% of your revenue under these assumptions. Use the estimate to identify workflows worth reviewing; actual losses and savings will vary.
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How the estimate works
Planning assumptions, shown in the open.
The calculator applies the assumptions below to your answers. It does not measure your actual losses or guarantee savings. Compare the result with your own job records before making decisions.
Change orders
0.5% to 5% of revenue. Specialty contractors in a Dodge and Procore survey reported losing far more to unbilled or unpaid change orders (Procore).
Late job-cost visibility
0.5% to 3% of revenue. A synthesis of 29 studies put the median direct cost of rework at about 4% of contract value (Navigant Construction Forum, via RapidEye), and a 2026 study found contractors underreport rework costs (ASCE).
Data re-entry
Your weekly hours × $32 per office hour × 50 weeks. This estimates labor time spent re-entering data; it is not necessarily recoverable profit.
Contractor FAQ
Where contractor profit goes
Short answers to common questions about change orders, rework, time sheets and job costing.
Last updated by Rize Virtual
How much do contractors lose to unbilled change orders?
Reported losses vary widely. In a Dodge Construction Network survey with Procore, specialty contractors said they lose about 30% of project revenue to unbilled or unpaid change orders, and other industry write-ups cite 9% to 13% of project revenue. This calculator uses a far lower 0.5% to 5% of revenue, depending on how change orders are handled.
How much does rework cost on a construction job?
A Navigant Construction Forum synthesis of 29 studies put the median direct cost of rework at about 4% of original contract value, with a probable range of 4% to 6%. A 2026 study reported in ASCE's Civil Engineering Source measured lower actual field rework, 0.38% to 0.76% of contract value, but found contractors underreported those costs by about 300%.
Sources: RapidEye Inspections, ASCE
How much do inaccurate time sheets cost contractors?
Payroll research cited by the American Payroll Association puts time theft and padded hours at 1.5% to 5% of gross payroll each year, and Nucleus Research puts buddy punching alone at about 2.2%. Paper or end-of-week time sheets make these errors harder to catch.
Sources: CMiC
Why is it hard for contractors to know if a job made money?
Most often, the data arrives too late. In a survey of 300 subcontractors, 48% said delayed or incomplete data was the top barrier to tracking job profitability. When hours, materials and change orders reach the office weeks after the work, overruns show up only after the job closes.
Sources: RiffleCM
Do I need expensive construction software to fix job costing?
Not always. In a 2026 survey skewed toward small contractors, 34% of firms that don't use software said it was too expensive for their job volume. Many contractors can get weekly job-cost visibility by connecting tools they already use, such as QuickBooks, spreadsheets and a time-tracking app, instead of replacing everything.
Sources: EstimatorSuite
How does the Job Profit Leak Calculator estimate my losses?
It combines four parts: 0.5% to 4% of field payroll for time capture, 0.5% to 5% of revenue for change orders, 0.5% to 3% of revenue for overruns caught late, and your weekly re-entry hours times $32 per office hour times 50 weeks. The total is capped at 15% of revenue. It is a scenario-based planning estimate, not a measurement of actual losses or accounting advice.
Is the calculator free, and what happens to my information?
Yes. You can see the total estimate without submitting your email. We save calculator activity, including your trade and estimated total. If you submit the email form, we also save your contact details and answers so we can respond about your results. Requesting a call is optional.
Who built this calculator?
Rize Virtual, a custom software development and technology consulting agency based in Central Wisconsin. We help contractors connect their tools and get job information from the field to the office with less chasing and retyping.
Built by Rize Virtual
Rize Virtual is a custom software development and technology consulting agency based in Central Wisconsin. We connect the big-picture strategy with the hands-on work it takes to bring an idea to life. For contractors, that means connecting the tools you already use, like QuickBooks, spreadsheets and scheduling apps, so job numbers show up every week instead of at month-end.
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