IRRIGATION NET PROFIT MARGIN BENCHMARKS.
Irrigation contractors average about 7% net profit margin at $1M to $5M, rising to roughly 9% at $5M to $10M. The CFOS target at $1M to $5M is 10%, set at 10 percent before taxes or 3.5 points better than your trade's average at your revenue, whichever is higher. The distance between the average and the target is almost always overhead that was never loaded into the rate.
In irrigation the four and a half points to a 10 percent pretax target come down to what happens after the system is buried, and they're worth $45,000 on a $1M year and $225,000 on a $5M year. An installed system generates a recurring calendar the contract either captures or gives away: spring startup, mid-season head repairs, mandated backflow testing by a certified tester, and fall winterization. Smart controllers, flow sensing, and water-budget reporting turn that book into a management contract on commercial properties where the water bill is a line the owner watches. The install is one payday and the service book is an annuity, and a P&L that blends them can't tell you which one you're building.
Net profit margin formula: Net Profit divided by Total Revenue, times 100. Unlike gross margin this measures what survives after overhead and G and A. It's the number that funds owner draw, debt paydown and growth.
IRRIGATION FINANCIAL BENCHMARKS. WHERE YOU SHOULD BE.
| METRIC | INDUSTRY AVERAGE | CFOS TARGET | AT $10M TO $25M | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net Profit Margin ($1M to $5M) | 7% | 10% | 11% | Industry figure rises to 9% at $5M to $10M and 11% at $10M to $25M. |
| Gross Margin ($1M to $5M) | 22% | 24% | 24% | Full detail on the gross margin page. |
| Overhead Rate ($1M to $5M) | 15% | 14% | 13% | Falls to 13% by $10M to $25M as fixed cost spreads over more revenue. |
| Days Sales Outstanding | 90 days | 45 days | 30 days | Ninety days is weak, 45 is the target, 30 is strong. Nothing else moves cash faster. |
Industry figures are the AVERAGE for the trade at each revenue band, from the SPM Trade Benchmark Reference, not a floor. Net profit is stated before taxes. The CFOS target is what we build toward. The third column is what companies at $10M to $25M average, shown for direction of travel; that is a larger company, which is a different thing from a better run one.
Trade figures are from the SPM Trade Benchmark Reference, 48 trades, published by Sulphur Prairie Management. Net profit is stated before taxes, on the same basis CFMA reports, so the two are directly comparable. Re-validate against CFMA reporting on the normal quarterly cycle, per the benchmark reference's own instruction.
- /* Only the benchmarks references. A surety prequalification article does not validate a gross margin figure, so citing it here would overstate what the reference covers. See _appliesToRule in sources.json. */
- 2024 Construction Financial Benchmarker, Executive Summary, Construction Financial Management Association, 2024. 21.8% gross profit margin, 11.8% SG&A and 6.3% net income before taxes across all respondents, with a best-in-class top quartile at 11.9% net income before taxes.
- 2025 Performance Benchmarks, Construction Companies, Jones Maresca and Company, 2025. Specialty contractor gross margin of 15% to 25%, net profit of 5% to 8% for a well managed company, and total indirect cost of 8% to 15%.
The full dataset for all 48 trades across the published revenue bands is available as JSON and CSV, with one plain-language statement per row. Free to use with attribution.
FLAT MONTHLY FEE. NO SURPRISES.
Priced by trailing 12 month revenue. No hourly billing. No payroll. No add-ons.
| Last 12 months revenue | Monthly fee |
|---|---|
| Up to $1M | $1,900 to $2,900 |
| $1M to $3.5M | $2,600 to $3,900 |
| $3.5M to $6.5M | $3,800 to $5,700 |
| $6.5M to $9.5M | $5,100 to $7,100 |
| $9.5M to $12.5M | $6,100 to $8,500 |
| $12.5M to $15.5M | $7,400 to $11,000 |
| $15.5M to $18.5M | $9,400 to $13,500 |
| $18.5M+ | Quoted individually |
Range reflects the three tiers below. Which one you're in depends on how much of the work you want off your desk. No payroll. No hidden line items.
You stop guessing.
You get the CFO work. Job costing built against the way you estimate, a 13 week cash forecast, monthly WIP, and a meeting every month that ends in decisions rather than a report.
Your bookkeeper keeps doing the books.
You stop touching the books.
Everything in Core, and we run the bookkeeping and the controllership as well. Nobody in your office is answering coding questions or chasing a reconciliation at month end.
We do the books. No payroll.
Every job shows its margin while it's still running.
Everything in Executive, plus the job costing and WIP platform set up, loaded with your cost codes, and managed for you every month. You never have to learn it.
We do the job costing.
FREQUENTLY ASKED.
