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Estimate Breakdown (separate Material & Labor Markups)

Handoff categorizes everything for you, so splitting markups is easy.

Handoff Support avatar
Written by Handoff Support
Updated over 3 weeks ago

We heard you loud and clear. You need to control your material markup separate from your labor markup, and you need to see material versus labor totals for your estimates. We're delivering exactly that -- it's available now.

How this feature works:

  • Complete markup control: Set different markup rates for materials, labor, and "other" (specialty work, allowances, subs, whatever you need).

  • Real visibility: See material totals separate from labor totals

  • Automatic categorization: No manual sorting - Handoff knows what's material and what's labor

  • Professional proposals: Your markup strategy stays private when presenting to clients

Automatic Item Categorization - The Game Changer

Here's the best part: Handoff automatically assigns every item as material or labor. No tedious manual sorting required.

  • Studs, plates, trusses, and sheathing? Automatically tagged as materials

  • Installation work and hourly rates? Automatically tagged as labor

Three Separate Markup Controls

Set your markups exactly how your business operates:

  1. Material Markup: Control markup on all lumber, fixtures, and supplies

  2. Labor Markup: Set different rates for your installation work

  3. Other Markup: Handle subcontractors, rentals, or specialty items differently

Each markup works as a percentage or flat dollar amount - whatever fits your project.

How to Access Your Breakdown (computer or mobile)

  1. Click the green total value at the bottom of your estimate

  2. The breakdown panel opens on the right on desktop, or in full screen on mobile.

  3. See your direct costs, markups, and totals all separated out

  4. Click "Edit Markups" in the green text to adjust your rates. You can set markups as either a percentage or as a firm dollar value.

Fine-Tune When Needed

While Handoff automatically categorizes your items, you can still move things around. Click any item's category to change it.

Your Settings Stick

Set your markup percentages once, and Handoff remembers them for future estimates. No rebuilding your strategy every time.

When you convert to a proposal, your markups get distributed professionally throughout each section - keeping your pricing strategy private while presenting clean numbers to clients.

Common use cases:

  • Set Material Markup to 0%, then Labor to a higher 35-45% because I'm buying materials at-cost.

  • Subs: Move all my concrete sub's work to "Other", then mark him up 10% while rest of estimate is at 30%.

  • Allowances or "at-cost" work: Set appliances to "other" with 0% markup for cost-only allowances

Coming soon:

  • Discounts: apply a percent or lump price discount that is client facing or homeowner facing, such as Veteran Discounts, Senior Discounts, or Winter Discounts.

  • Taxes: apply a percent sales tax to your estimate separate from the other markups. Choose whether it's material vs labor.

  • Contingency: on top of every other markup, add a little buffer to cover for unknowns.

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