Your true hourly cost per employee — including payroll taxes, workers' comp, benefits, vehicle, tools, and overhead. Know the minimum billable rate to hit your target margin. Most contractors undercharge because they price from wage cost, not burdened cost.
No signup · No tracking · Browser-local · Works offline
Pick your trade (pre-fills typical workers' comp rate)
Employee & wage
Your true numbers
$0
Fully-burdened hourly cost
$0
Minimum billable rate
0%
Burden as % of wage
How to use this: If you're charging less than the minimum billable rate above, you're subsidizing the job from your own pocket. Every hour billed below this number is a loss — even if it feels like you're making money because cash is coming in. The gap compounds across the year.
Annual cost summary
What's included in the burden?
Direct labor burden (on top of wages)
FICA: 7.65% of wages (6.2% Social Security + 1.45% Medicare) — employer share
FUTA + SUTA: Federal and state unemployment insurance — typically 1-3% of wages
Workers' compensation: Trade-specific rate per $100 of payroll. Plumbing/HVAC: ~$5-8. Roofing: ~$15-25. Office: ~$0.30. Your state and experience mod factor matter.
Health insurance: Employer-paid portion of monthly premiums
Workers' comp rates by trade (typical per $100 payroll)
These are ballpark rates. Your actual rate depends on your state, experience modification factor, and claims history. Always verify with your insurance broker.
Plumbing: $5.00–$8.00
HVAC: $4.50–$7.50
Electrical: $3.00–$5.50
General contractor (field): $5.00–$9.00
Roofing: $15.00–$25.00+
Landscaping: $3.50–$6.00
Pest control: $2.50–$5.00
Office/Clerical: $0.20–$0.50
Why this tool exists
Most contractors know what they pay an employee per hour. Far fewer know what that employee actually costs per billable hour after taxes, insurance, benefits, vehicle, tools, and overhead. The gap between "wage" and "true cost" is where margins quietly disappear — especially for shops with 1-10 techs who don't have a CFO running these numbers.
Research from ServiceTitan, BuildVision AI, and trade forums consistently shows that most small trades contractors don't calculate a true break-even billable rate. They price from gut or from competitor rates, then wonder why a busy year still ends with thin profits.
This tool does the math in 30 seconds. No spreadsheet, no signup, no sales call.
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