Free estimate-to-actual checker

Stop repeating the same labor-hour miss.

Compare the hours you estimated with the hours completed jobs actually used. See the direction and size of the miss before the next quote starts from the same assumption.

No email gate. No customer data. Nothing is submitted or stored.

01

Compare completed jobs

Use total person-hours across the crew. Blank or zero rows are excluded. Keep customer names, addresses, access details, and private notes out.

02

Read the observed pattern

This is a calibration checkpoint, not an automatic price or promise about the next job.

Estimated total0.0 h0 completed jobs
Actual total0.0 h0.0% vs. estimate
Observed bias0.0%Close to plan
Observed labor-time factor× 1.00

Too early to use. Repeat the review after more comparable jobs.

Factor-adjusted checkpoint4.0 h

Review this against the actual scope, crew, condition, travel, and your judgment before quoting.

03 / Keep the jobs comparable

Calibration works when the comparison has a boundary.

A single overrun may be a scope exception. A repeated pattern across similar jobs is more useful. Segment the records before changing the model.

  • Use total person-hours, not elapsed clock time for a multi-person crew.
  • Keep first visits separate from recurring maintenance.
  • Separate materially different service types, property bands, and condition levels.
  • Review the reason for outliers instead of deleting inconvenient jobs.
  • Change one labor-time assumption, then measure the next comparable set.

04 / Quick answers

Quote calibration FAQ

What is quote calibration?+

Quote calibration compares estimated person-hours with actual person-hours from completed, comparable jobs. The observed difference can show whether the working labor-time model has been consistently high or low.

How many completed cleaning jobs should I compare?+

Start with a small checkpoint, but do not treat it as a stable rule. Review again after five, ten, and twenty comparable jobs, and keep first visits, recurring cleans, and materially different scopes separate.

Does this tool choose my next cleaning price?+

No. It calculates an observed labor-time factor only. The next estimate still needs the actual scope, crew, wage and burden, supplies, travel, overhead, margin target, taxes, and operator judgment.

Does TidyMargin receive the job numbers?+

No. The checker runs in the browser and has no submission form, account, or email gate. Use total hours only and do not enter client-identifying or access information.

Educational planning tool only. It does not provide accounting, tax, legal, employment, safety, insurance, or pricing advice and does not guarantee profit, job duration, or an appropriate market price.