Who this is for: owners of HVAC service companies who price repairs from a flat-rate price book.
A flat rate is your cost to do the job divided by the share of the price that pays for that cost. ServiceTitan's blog post "HVAC Flat-Rate Pricing: Tips to Create the Best HVAC Pricebook" (dated 7 August 2026) puts it as one formula (servicetitan.com/blog/hvac-flat-rate-pricing, read 6 November 2026):
flat-rate price = (burdened labor + material + overhead allocation) / (1 - target gross margin)
Below is that formula on one price-book line, a second line in the same shape, and the form that prices both on your phone.
Worked example: a capacitor replacement at a 50% margin
Sample numbers, in place of your own: the job takes 0.75 hours, burdened labor costs $45 an hour (the technician's wage with payroll taxes, insurance and benefits added), the capacitor costs $18, and overhead is $60 a job ($18,000 a month of overhead over 300 jobs a month). The target gross margin is 50%.
| Line | Formula | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Burdened labor | 0.75 hours x $45 | $33.75 |
| Material | capacitor | $18.00 |
| Overhead allocation | $18,000 / 300 jobs | $60.00 |
| Cost | $33.75 + $18.00 + $60.00 | $111.75 |
| Flat-rate price | $111.75 / (1 - 0.50) | $223.50 |
At a 50% margin the price is twice the cost: $111.75 x 2 = $223.50, a 100% markup. Marking the cost up by 50% instead ($111.75 x 1.5 = $167.63) keeps a 33.3% margin, $55.87 less on every capacitor.
A second price-book line, same shape
A blower motor replacement with the same sample rates: 1.5 hours, a $165 motor, the same $60 overhead and 50% margin.
| Line | Formula | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Burdened labor | 1.5 hours x $45 | $67.50 |
| Material | blower motor | $165.00 |
| Overhead allocation | $18,000 / 300 jobs | $60.00 |
| Cost | $67.50 + $165.00 + $60.00 | $292.50 |
| Flat-rate price | $292.50 / (1 - 0.50) | $585.00 |
Every line in a price book is this table with three different inputs: hours, material and, if you allocate it by job type, overhead.
Who sees the cost lines
The customer. The form's own link shows the one flat price for the job they pick, $223.50 for the capacitor, and none of the cost lines. If a technician needs to show a price at the door, send them that link: it shows the flat price only.
You, the owner. On Pro, every form also has an internal view that only the owner can open, at forms.badabingapp.cc/e/<yourname>/<form>. The pricing page lists it as "A private internal view of every form, on any phone" (pricing, read 6 November 2026). It shows every result, including the ones not shown on the form (the share docs): labor, material, overhead, cost and the flat price. Open it on your phone at the job, pick the line, and you see the cost behind the price before you quote it.
Build the price book form in ChatGPT
Add CalcForms to ChatGPT, start a chat and paste this, with your own price book in place of the sample lines:
Build an HVAC flat-rate price form. Use this price book: Capacitor replacement, 0.75 hours, $18 material. Blower motor replacement, 1.5 hours, $165 material. Burdened labor is $45 an hour, overhead is $60 a job, and the target gross margin is 50%. Ask the customer which job they need. Calculate labor = hours x 45, cost = labor + material + 60, and price = cost / (1 - 0.50). Show the customer the price only. Then publish it.
Paste the rest of your price book the same way; the price list guide covers longer tables. When a part's cost changes, tell ChatGPT the new figure and the price changes on the same link. For replacement installs priced from home size, see the HVAC replacement cost calculator.
Building and running the form in ChatGPT is free, with unlimited forms and replies. The internal view is part of Pro, $12.99 a month after a 1-day free trial.