Step 1: Create a New Budget
Go to the Budget tab from the main menu
Click “+ New Budget”
Enter a name (e.g., Simple Budget 2026)
Select Simple Budget
Click Save
Step 2: Enter Field Labor Costs
Open the Field Labor tab
Enter:
Average Cost Per Man Hour
Total Man Hours Worked Per Year
Review the Forecasted Annual Cost (auto-calculated)
Step 3: Enter Equipment Costs (Optional)
Go to the Equipment tab
Enter values in:
Recovered as Overhead
Billable on Estimate
Rental Equipment
(Optional) Expand “Calculate Your Equipment Costs” to add detailed equipment
Optional Steps
Note: Numbers manually added in the “Forecasted Annual Equipment Costs” must be reversed back to zero so the data input in this table can be summed and displayed in the “Forecasted Annual Equipment Costs”
Owned Equipment
Note: if Billable per hour/day, you must enter billable hours per year/day.
Step 4: Enter Overhead Costs
Open the Overhead tab
Enter your Total Monthly Overhead Cost
ORAdd line items in the breakdown section:
Click “+ Add Line”
Enter monthly costs per category
Step 5: Enter Materials and Subcontractors
Go to Materials tab
Enter your monthly material cost
Go to Subcontractors tab
Enter your monthly subcontractor cost
Step 6: Select Overhead Recovery Method
Open Overhead Recovery tab
Choose one:
Weighted
Equal
Field Labor Only
Review calculated values (no manual input needed in most cases)
To resolve this error, which occurs when your recovery markups exceed your actual overhead, simply decrease the markups.
Step 7: Define Your Profit & Sales Goal
Go to Sales Goal tab
Enter your desired Net Profit %
Review:
Break-even
Net profit
Sales goal
Step 8: Save Your Budget
Click Save Budget (top right)
Choose:
Save as Draft → for testing
Save as Default → to use in estimates
Final Check
Before finishing, confirm:
All cost categories are filled
Overhead is accurate
Recovery method aligns with your business
Profit % reflects your goals