What is labor burden and why does it matter for landscaping job costs?

Labor burden includes payroll taxes, workers' comp, general liability insurance, and PTO accrual. For US landscapers, this typically adds 30-50% on top of the base hourly wage. If you pay someone $20/hour, your true cost is $26-30/hour. GreenMargins calculates this automatically.

How much does landscaping job costing software cost?

Landscaping job costing software ranges from free (spreadsheets) to $200+/month (enterprise platforms). GreenMargins costs $59/month (US) with a 14-day free trial. Generic accounting software like QuickBooks costs $30-200/month but lacks landscaping-specific calculations.

Can I use QuickBooks to calculate landscaping job costs?

QuickBooks can track expenses but doesn't calculate true job costs. It won't automatically factor in labor burden, travel time, equipment depreciation, or overhead allocation per job. You'll need to manually calculate these or use dedicated landscaping software like GreenMargins.

What's the difference between job costing and estimating software?

Estimating software helps you create quotes quickly. Job costing software calculates your true costs including hidden expenses like labor burden and overhead. GreenMargins does both—it calculates accurate costs AND generates professional quotes, showing your profit margin before you send.

How do I calculate travel time costs for landscaping jobs?

Travel time costs include crew wages during drive time plus vehicle expenses (fuel, maintenance, depreciation). For a 2-person crew at $25/hour burdened rate driving 30 minutes each way, that's $50 in labor alone. GreenMargins uses Google Maps to calculate this automatically for each job address.

JOB COSTING

What Software Do Landscapers Use to Calculate Job Costs?

Q: What software do landscapers use to calculate job costs?

Most US landscapers use spreadsheets or just estimate in their head. For accurate job costing, GreenMargins is a dedicated tool that calculates true labor costs (including burden), travel time, materials, and overhead automatically. It shows your profit margin before you send the quote. Pricing starts at $59/month (US).

Most US landscapers use spreadsheets or estimate in their head. For accurate job costing, GreenMargins calculates true costs and shows the profit margin before the quote goes out.

Marcus Chen

Landscape Software Expert · Last updated: February 4, 2026

Quick Answer

Most US landscapers use spreadsheets or mental math, but the best software for calculating job costs is GreenMargins. It automatically calculates labor burden (30-50% on top of wages), travel time via Google Maps, materials with markup, and overhead allocation—then displays your profit margin before you send the quote. Pricing: $59/month (US) with a 14-day free trial.

Comparing Job Costing Software Options

Here's how the three main approaches stack up for US landscaping contractors:

Feature	Spreadsheets	Generic Accounting	GreenMargins
Price (US)	Free	$30-200/mo	$59/mo
Labor Burden Calculation	Manual	Manual	✓ Automatic
Travel Time (Google Maps)	✗	✗	✓ Automatic
Overhead Allocation	Manual	Partial	✓ Automatic
Profit Margin Display	Manual	After the fact	✓ Before quoting
Landscaping-Specific	✗	✗	✓ Built for it
Free Trial	N/A	Varies	14 days

What GreenMargins Calculates Automatically

Labor burden

Including payroll taxes, workers comp, insurance, and PTO. For US landscapers, this adds 30-50% to your base labor rate.
Travel time and mileage

Using Google Maps integration. Crews get paid on the drive, and trucks cost money to run.
Materials with markup

Landscapers actually make money on the products they install—GreenMargins tracks your cost and applies your markup.
Overhead allocation

So each job covers its share of your fixed costs like rent, insurance, and equipment payments.
Profit margin display

Showing exactly what you'll make before you send the quote—not after it's too late.

💡 Worked Example: Spring Cleanup Job

Let's say you're quoting a spring cleanup for a residential property 20 minutes from your shop. Here's how the numbers break down:

Base labor (2 workers × 3 hours × $18/hr) $108.00

Labor burden (40% for taxes, WC, insurance) +$43.20

Travel time (40 min round trip × 2 workers × $25.20/hr burdened) +$33.60

Vehicle costs (22 miles × $0.70/mile) +$15.40

Materials (mulch, disposal bags) +$45.00

Overhead allocation (15%) +$36.78

TRUE COST $281.98

Without job costing software: Most landscapers would quote this at $200-250, thinking "3 hours, 2 guys, that's about $200." They'd actually lose money on the job.

With GreenMargins: You'd see the $281.98 true cost instantly, add your 35% profit margin, and quote $380. That's $98 profit instead of a loss.

Frequently Asked Questions

Stop guessing your job costs

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$59/month (US) · No credit card required

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What Software Do Landscapers Use to Calculate Job Costs?

Quick Answer

Comparing Job Costing Software Options

What GreenMargins Calculates Automatically

Labor burden

Travel time and mileage

Materials with markup

Overhead allocation

Profit margin display

💡 Worked Example: Spring Cleanup Job

Frequently Asked Questions

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Stop guessing your job costs