1. What you quote
2. The lawn and the aerator
Turf is the lot minus beds, driveway, patio and buildings. Aerator hours = turf × passes ÷ (swath × speed × field efficiency).
3. Seed and fertilizer
4. The crew and the truck
Hours are per person. Each person is paid for the on-site clock time, the drive and the load.
5. The machine, your year and your margin
Fill in the numbers, then click Check this job.
Result
| Line | Per job |
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6. Compare with a second job
Job A is everything above. Job B shares your seed, crew, machine, truck, fees and yearly overhead, and has its own quote, lot, beds, passes, seed rate and miles.
How it is built
Hours: aerator hours = turf × passes ÷ (swath × ground speed × 5,280 × field efficiency); seeding hours = turf ÷ seeding speed; each person is paid for those plus extra on-site time, the drive and the load. Job costs: crew labor with payroll cost, seed and starter fertilizer by the pound per 1,000 sq ft, other supplies, the aerator's fuel and rental or depreciation per machine hour, truck fuel and wear, card fees on the whole bill, and yearly overhead ÷ jobs per season. The job is billed at the higher of your quote and your minimum fee. True profit is that bill minus those costs, before tax.
Lowest quote: the costs that do not depend on price, divided by (1 − card fees − target margin). The test suite checks that quoting exactly that amount earns the target margin for hundreds of random lawns.
Common questions
How do I price core aeration and overseeding?
Start from the turf you can actually work, which is the lot minus beds, driveways and buildings. Work out the aerator hours from swath, ground speed and the number of passes, add the seeding time, then cost the seed and starter fertilizer by the pound per 1,000 square feet. Add crew labor with payroll cost, machine fuel and rental or depreciation, the truck, card fees and a share of your yearly overhead. Divide the costs that do not move with price by one minus your card-fee percentage and your target margin to get the lowest quote.
How much seed does an overseeding job use?
It depends on the grass and on whether you are overseeding or starting from bare soil. Overseeding a cool-season lawn is often several pounds per 1,000 square feet, and the bag label gives the rate for your seed. The calculator multiplies your rate by the turf area and your price per pound, and shows the pounds so you can check the truck load.
Why do two passes cost so much more than one?
Each pass is another full trip over the turf, so aerator hours double, and fuel and machine cost double with them. The calculator shows aerator hours separately so you can see what a second pass adds before you quote it.
What is a sensible minimum job fee?
A small lawn still needs the truck, the drive, the load and the setup. Put your minimum fee in and the tool bills the job at the higher of your quote and the minimum, and tells you when the minimum is what is being charged.
How many aeration jobs do I need to cover my overhead?
Take what one job earns above its direct costs, which is everything except the share of yearly overhead, and divide your yearly insurance, truck payment and overhead by that. The calculator shows the break-even jobs a season and warns when it is more than you plan to book.
Is my data uploaded?
No. Everything runs in your browser, there are no accounts, and nothing is sent to a server. Use Save to download a scenario file.
Is this tax, insurance or business advice?
No. It is arithmetic on the numbers you type. The set-aside is only a percentage you choose, and your licensing, insurance, payroll and sales tax depend on where you operate. Check with an accountant or your insurer.