Category Money

How to write a service invoice for field service work: what to include, a worked example, payment terms and the mistakes that delay payment.

Travel time pay for field technicians: which drive time counts as hours worked under federal law, what does not, and how it affects overtime.

A service call has a cost before any repair starts. Work out your loaded labor, travel, vehicle and overhead cost per call, then set a minimum price that covers them.

The IRS raised the business mileage rate to 76 cents per mile on July 1, 2026. Here is what changed, what counts as a business mile, and what to do if you drive your own vehicle for work.

Federal overtime rules for hourly technicians: the 40-hour workweek, how bonuses change your overtime rate, and when drive time and on-call time count as hours worked.

Markup and margin are different numbers. Mixing them up means a shop that thinks it earns 50 percent on parts is really earning 33 percent. Here is how each one works.

Per diem is a daily allowance for lodging and meals when you travel overnight for work. Learn how rates are set, when it is tax-free and what to ask your employer.

Find out whether a job made money. A step-by-step method for calculating direct costs, gross profit, overhead and net profit on a single service or install job.

A trip charge covers the cost of getting a technician to the door. Learn what it should include, how to calculate it and how to explain it to customers.

Loaded labor cost adds payroll taxes, insurance, benefits and paid time off to the hourly wage. Here is how to calculate it and why your pricing depends on it.