Free HR calculator
Construction Labor Burden Calculator
The wage is not what a crew member costs. On top of base pay you carry payroll taxes, workers comp, benefits, tools and PPE, the truck, and overhead. This calculator adds it all up and shows the fully burdened hourly cost. That is the number your bids, job costing, and crew decisions should be built on.
Before you start
What you will need. Annual base pay, Productive hours per year
The role
Fully burdened hourly rate
The method
What labor burden means on a jobsite
The wage you quote a new hire is not what an hour of their work costs you. On top of base pay you carry payroll taxes, workers compensation, benefits, and paid time off. Then training and certifications, tools and PPE, the truck, and a share of overhead. Together those are the labor burden, and the fully burdened hourly rate is the all-in cost of one field hour. It is the only labor number a bid should be built on.
How this is calculated
Why construction burden runs high
Skilled trades and construction can reach a total burden of 45% to 65% of base pay, more than most industries. Workers compensation is the biggest reason: field trade classifications carry premium rates that office work never sees, and your experience mod moves them further. Tools, PPE, and vehicle costs add a layer that desk jobs do not carry at all.
The components worth getting right
Payroll taxes are close to fixed: the employer share of FICA runs 7.65%, with federal and state unemployment on top. Workers comp should come straight from your policy, by class code. Benefits vary by company. Tools, PPE, and the truck are best estimated from last year’s actual spend divided by field headcount. Overhead is the yard, the office, and the insurance beyond comp, allocated across productive field hours.
From burden to the bid
Once you have the fully burdened rate, every estimate gets simpler and more honest. Labor hours times the burdened rate is the true labor line. Comparing overtime against adding a crew member, or a sub against an employee, only works when both sides carry their full burden.
Carry this into the decision
Put the burdened rate to work across the crew
The Construction and Trades HR System packages hiring, onboarding, attendance, and pay tools in one license, built on the burdened-rate math this calculator uses.
$249. 30 days. Reply to your receipt or email support@truestephr.com for a full refund. No form or explanation is required, and you keep the files.
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Put your own numbers in and read the result on screen.
Put your own numbers in and read the result on screen.
Put your own numbers in and read the result on screen.
This tool estimates from the figures you enter. It is general information rather than legal, tax, or accounting advice, so check the result against your own records before you rely on it.