Free Tool
Are You Leaving Margin on Your Change Orders?
Most GC project managers underprice change orders by 8–15% because they price direct costs correctly but miss indirect costs, burden, and markup entitlements buried in their contract. Calculate your correct markup in 60 seconds — free.
- GCs recover only 60–75% of entitled CO markup on average
- Change orders represent 5–15% of final contract value on most commercial projects
- Underpriced COs compound — one bad template affects every change order you write
Free web tool — no login required. Built for commercial GC project managers and estimators.
Step 1 — Direct Costs
Enter the direct costs for this change order. Be thorough — every dollar of direct cost you miss reduces the base your markup is applied to, compounding the margin loss.
Labor
Total Raw Labor: $0.00
Labor Burden
Labor burden is the true cost of an employee beyond their base wage. This is one of the most commonly undercharged items on change orders.
Fully Burdened Labor: $0.00
Materials
Total Materials (with waste + tax): $0.00
Equipment & Other
Total: $0.00
Subcontractors
You are entitled to markup on sub costs.
Total: $0.00
Total Direct Costs
$0.00
Step 2 — Indirect Costs & Overhead
These are real costs your company incurs for every change order that most GCs forget to include — or undercharge.
Total Cost Basis (Direct + Indirect)
$0.00
Step 3 — Markup & Profit
This is where your margin lives. Compare what you're entitled to vs. what you're charging.
Your legally entitled markup. Typical: 10–20%.
Your desired profit after overhead.
What you actually apply to your COs right now.
Stop Leaving Margin on Your Change Orders
CostAnchor's spec deviation detection identifies scope gaps before they become underpriced change orders — giving you a stronger position to price your COs correctly from day one.
This calculator is for estimation purposes only. Always review your contract terms for specific markup entitlements.