Trapped Profit Calculator
Every day a job sits unpaid, your profit is trapped. See exactly how much working capital is tied up in payment delays—and what it's costing your business.
What is trapped profit?
Trapped profit is the money you've earned but can't access. When you complete a job but don't get paid for 30, 45, or 60+ days, that profit sits idle instead of working for your business.
Insurance jobs waiting on adjusters
Supplements, re-inspections, and approval delays
Final inspections taking weeks
Municipality backlogs and scheduling delays
Collections falling through the cracks
No system to track what's owed and follow up
The Hidden Cost
That's money paying interest instead of funding growth.
Calculate your trapped profit
Enter your numbers below to see how much capital is tied up in payment delays.
Include time for inspections, approvals, insurance processing, etc.
What you pay on credit lines or could earn if reinvested
Your Results
Capital Trapped at Any Time
Revenue waiting for payment
Profit Trapped in Delays
Your money, sitting idle
Annual Cost of Trapped Capital
Interest paid or opportunity lost
Additional Jobs You Could Fund
jobs
If that capital was freed up
Potential Additional Revenue
By reinvesting freed capital
If you reduced delays by just 10 days:
What these numbers mean for your business
Growth Constraint
Every dollar trapped in receivables is a dollar you can't use to fund new jobs, buy materials, or hire crews. Trapped profit directly limits how fast you can grow.
Interest & Opportunity Cost
If you're financing operations with credit lines, trapped profit means paying interest on money you've already earned. If not, it's opportunity cost—growth you're missing.
Compounding Effect
The longer delays persist, the more capital gets trapped. A 10-day reduction in payment time can free up tens of thousands in working capital instantly.
How to free trapped profit
Reducing payment delays isn't about working harder—it's about having systems that prevent delays in the first place.
Track job status in real-time
Know exactly where every job stands—what's waiting on inspection, what needs documentation, what's ready to invoice.
Automate follow-ups and reminders
Never let a payment fall through the cracks. Automatic alerts when jobs are ready to collect or payments are overdue.
Streamline documentation
Complete photos, signatures, and paperwork in the field. No delays waiting for crews to submit paperwork.
Identify bottlenecks early
See which jobs are stuck and why. Address issues before they become 30-day delays.
How ContractorHUB helps
Our pipeline management tools are designed to move jobs faster and get you paid sooner.
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Plan smarter with our growing suite of business calculators.
Ready to free your trapped profit?
See how ContractorHUB can help you move jobs faster, collect sooner, and put your profit back to work.