What belongs in a detailing quote?
A detailing quote needs to cover your time, supplies, travel and business expenses. Use this checklist to work out your costs before setting the customer’s price.
1. Include all the time the job takes.
Include setup, time working on the vehicle, cleanup, and the driving time for that appointment. If you spend 30 minutes setting up and packing away around a 2.5-hour service, you have 3 hours to pay for.
2. Separate your pay from profit.
Choose an hourly pay rate for your own work. Three hours at $35 is $105 of labor cost. Profit is what remains after that allowance and the other listed costs. It is not the same as cash left before paying yourself.
3. Add supplies and travel costs.
Estimate products, towels and other consumables, fuel and tolls, plus a reasonable share of overhead such as equipment, insurance, and software. Count travel time under working time and travel expenses under costs so you can see both without counting the same expense twice.
4. Allow for payment fees and margin.
If payment processing is a percentage of the selling price, adding it to your costs as a simple markup will not fully account for it. The calculator solves for the price that covers your entered costs, percentage fee, fixed fee, and target margin.
3 hours × $35 = $105 for your time
$18 supplies + $10 travel + $12 overhead = $40
Total before fees = $145
With a 3% payment fee and 20% margin: $145 ÷ (1 − 0.03 − 0.20) = about $188.31. Rounded up to $190, the fee is $5.70 and profit after pay and listed costs is $39.30.
5. Explain what the price includes.
Confirm vehicle size, condition, included services, and exclusions. Heavy soil, pet hair, stains, or extra requested work may change the time. Agree on any added work and price before doing it. A calculator does not know the condition of the car or what your local customers will pay.
6. Check your costs when the job is done.
Record actual working time, spending, fees, and revenue before sales tax. In this example, 30 extra minutes of detailing adds $17.50 in labor at your chosen pay rate. Compare estimated and actual hours so you can quote similar vehicles more accurately.
All figures are examples in USD. The estimate excludes income tax and any costs you do not enter. Confirm applicable sales tax separately, including any processing fees charged on tax.
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