Electrical estimating software that shows the profit before you send
TradieTally is electrical estimating software for Australian sparkies who want every price built from real labour time, real material costs and a charge-out rate that covers the business. You see the profit and margin on the estimate before the customer ever does.
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TradieTally is electrical estimating software that prices electrical work from labour hours, material costs and a charge-out rate built from your actual business costs, then shows the profit, margin and markup on every estimate before it is sent.
Electrical estimating software that shows the profit before you send: step by step
- 1
Work out your real running cost
Enter your vehicle and fuel, tools, insurance, office and admin costs, your billable hours after lost days, and employer on-costs like super, workers comp and leave loading. TradieTally turns that into an hourly running cost.
- 2
Set a target gross margin
Choose the margin you want and TradieTally calculates the charge-out rate. In the app's example, a $109.45 running cost at a 50% margin gives $218.91 an hour.
- 3
Add labour and material line items
Build the estimate with labour hours for each task and materials pulled from your inventory, where each item is linked to a supplier with pricing history.
- 4
Check profit, margin and warnings
Before anything is sent, the estimate shows total cost, profit and margin. If costs push the job below your target, TradieTally warns you.
- 5
Save repeat work as a Smart Bundle
Turn a well-priced estimate, like a switchboard upgrade, into a Smart Bundle so the next one takes seconds instead of an hour.
Why electrical estimating software beats a spreadsheet
A spreadsheet estimate is only as good as the last time someone updated the cable price and checked the formulas. Electrical estimating software keeps your labour rates, material costs and margin in one place, so every estimate uses the same numbers and you can't forget the GST or the RCBOs.
TradieTally is built estimating-first, with job management added on top. If you're weighing up the two, read estimating software vs job management software.
Margin vs markup: the number that decides whether you get paid
A 50% markup is not a 50% margin. Markup is added on top of cost; margin is the share of the price you keep. TradieTally shows both side by side, and in the app's example, pricing on margin instead of markup puts $76.62 more profit in your pocket every hour.
The charge-out rate calculator sets the rate from your target margin, and our guide to markup vs margin for tradies explains the maths. Curious what slow estimating costs you? Run the numbers on your own quoting time.
What electrical work can you estimate in TradieTally?
Anything you can break into labour, materials and custom items. Switchboard upgrades, rewires, EV charger installs with a sub-main upgrade, smoke alarm compliance across a rental portfolio, and small commercial lighting jobs all price the same way.
- Labour by the hour, or productivity rates per hour, per m² or per km
- Materials from inventory with supplier pricing history
- Custom line items for permits, skip bins, subcontractors or after-hours work
- GST-inclusive totals with your ABN on the PDF
Estimating bigger electrical jobs from plans
Today, larger jobs are estimated line by line with your labour and material items, and repeat sections can be dropped in as Smart Bundles. The Project Estimator is coming soon: it will let you take off from the plans, build a bill of quantities and turn it into a quote.
Example: pricing a switchboard upgrade on margin
Example figures only, using the app's example running cost of $109.45 an hour and a 40% target gross margin. Your own costs will differ.
| Labour cost (6 hrs × $109.45) | $656.70 |
|---|---|
| Materials cost (enclosure, main switch, RCBOs, SPD, sundries) | $780.00 |
| Total cost | $1,436.70 |
| Price ex GST at 40% margin ($1,436.70 ÷ 0.60) | $2,394.50 |
| GST (10%) | $239.45 |
| Price inc GST | $2,633.95 |
| Profit | $957.80 |
| Margin / equivalent markup | 40% / 66.7% |
Example figures. A 40% margin needs a 66.7% markup on cost; putting only 40% markup on this job would leave about $383 less profit.
Estimating software for electricians: FAQs
How do I estimate labour time for a switchboard upgrade in TradieTally?
Add a labour line with the hours you expect, for example six hours for a standard domestic board, and TradieTally prices it at your charge-out rate. Once you've priced a few, save the estimate as a Smart Bundle so the hours and materials are already there next time.
Can TradieTally warn me if an electrical estimate is under my target margin?
Yes. You set a target gross margin and TradieTally shows a margin warning when costs on an estimate exceed your target. You see it before you send, not after the job is done.
Does TradieTally have live electrical wholesaler price feeds?
No. TradieTally does not have direct wholesaler API price feeds. You can bulk-import materials by CSV, link each item to a supplier and keep pricing history, so you can see when a price has moved.
What charge-out rate should an electrician use in Australia?
There's no single right number, because it depends on your own vehicle, insurance, tools, admin and billable hours. TradieTally builds the rate from those costs plus your target margin; in the app's example, $109.45 an hour running cost at a 50% margin gives $218.91 an hour. The charge-out rate calculator walks through it.
Other trades:Estimating software for security technicians · Estimating software for air conditioning· All trades: Estimating software overview
Stop quoting at the kitchen table.
Price every job from your real costs, see the profit before you hit send, and run the whole job from one app. Built by a sparky for electricians, security techs and A/C contractors.